The Greener the Pastures
by WritePassion
Summary: Fiona prodded Sam, saying, "You've jumped in to help total strangers. Isn't it time you did something for your family?" Michael, Fiona, and Sam go to Michigan to help save Sam's relatives' farm from a shady corporation, and they find even more challenges await them.
1. Chapter 1

_Burn Notice: I don't own it, I just like to play with it._

_This came from a personal challenge to put Team Westen into a situation that was far removed from what they were used to and see how they handle it. I love fish out of water stories, and this one is just extreme._

**The Greener the Pastures**

By WritePassion

When Michael approached the table at Carlito's Sam was already there with drinks waiting. He looked up, saw Michael, and his wide smile held a hint of something secret. Whether it was good or bad, he had no idea. Michael glanced at Fiona and he knew she'd seen it as well. Maybe Sam was going to announce his engagement to Elsa, making this an even more interesting day.

"Morning, Sam."

"You're looking awfully happy about something this morning," Fiona remarked as she sat to Michael's left and picked up her drink. "Anything special we should know about?"

Leave it to Fi to go in for the details right away, never mind the chitchat.

"Not really," Sam answered. "Elsa and I just passed our anniversary. We've been together for two years now."

"Wow, that's gotta be a record for you," Fiona said and sucked on her celery. "But I mean that in the nicest way, of course!"

"Yeah, right." He glared at her sideways. "So, anyway, what's up with you two? Why the meeting?"

"We're getting married next month," Michael announced before Fiona could speak. By the look on Sam's face, he didn't expect it to come from his lips, but Fiona's. "Nothing fancy, just us, my mom, and you and Jesse."

"Congratulations, Mike." He glanced at Fiona. "It's about time, don't you think?" He winked and added, "But I mean that in the nicest way, of course."

The narrowed down eyes look that Fiona gave him made him laugh, but when it didn't abate, he settled down.

"Oh, and somehow, my mom got a piece of mail for you." Michael pushed an overnight envelope across the table to Sam. "It has a Michigan postmark on it."

Puzzled, Sam mentally ran through the number of people he knew from the years living there. Then he saw the return address, and his expression turned morose. Michael and Fiona exchanged glances. Neither of them dared to ask what was wrong. Sam picked up the tab and ripped it open. A letter on notepaper fell out.

"What is it?" Fiona asked after some hesitation. The paper was pink with faint green lines and the handwriting neat in a dark blue ink. "Who's it from?"

"It's from my cousin Elise." He fell silent and scanned the page. His friends watched as he swallowed a few times and blinked, but otherwise his face remained stony. When he was done he folded the letter and stuffed it into his shirt pocket.

"So..."

"It's nothing, Mike. I can take care of this, I'll just call in some favors with some buddies up north, and it'll be done."

Michael squinted at him. "Sam, is someone in trouble?"

Sam rested his arms on the envelope and replied, "Yeah." He met Michael's stare, and he knew what he wanted. "Okay, here, let me read it to you guys." He pulled out the paper, unfolded it, and read it.

_Dear Sam,_

_I haven't written in a long time and I'm not sure this will get to you, but I hope it does. The last phone number you gave me doesn't work, or I would have called you. I know that you and your friends have been helping people with their problems, and I'm hoping that you can help us. MiFarm Incorporated, a big corporation in the state, buys up farms and turns them around to make huge profits either by increasing efficiency or turning the land into a field of condos. Either way, good, hard-working farmers are losing their livelihoods in exchange for a quick buck._

_They've talked to Daddy about the dairy farm, but he won't sell to them, and they won't leave us alone. Last week someone reported us to the USDA for a sanitary violation and the government sent a team out to investigate. We think that Matthew was bought off and he tried to make it look like we had some sick cows. But the USDA left satisfied that we were in compliance. I'm afraid MiFarm won't stop and their tactics will get worse until something bad happens._

_Daddy's health isn't good. Stress doesn't help. Between the cancer and the high blood pressure, and MiFarm's harassment, Lord knows what'll kill him first. Mama's worried for him too, and she's been down with bronchitis again, so it's been really hard. I don't know if you and your friends can get this corporation off our backs or what, but all I know is that I had to try because there's no other choice besides giving up. If I want my parents around for awhile longer, it's the only way if things keep going like they are._

_Please let me know what you can do, if anything. I'm overnighting this letter, so if I don't hear from you in a couple of days, I'll know you either didn't get it or you can't help, because I know you, Sammy. If there is any way, I know you'll race up here and come to the rescue. Auntie Jean, your Ma, would have been proud of you. I know we all are._

_Love,_

_Elise_

Sighing heavily, Sam put the paper back into his pocket. "So there it is. I don't know how we can help them. They're going to lose their farm, but it's not because of the economy or whatever. It's been a real money making venture over the years, and some big company is going to bully them into selling."

"I wonder why your cousin Elise sent you a letter to Madeline's address? Why didn't she call you?"

"I've switched numbers more times than you've changed shoes, Fi. You know that. And I don't exactly keep up with the relatives back home. One of the times I lived with Maddie I sent Elise something that I saw and reminded me of her." A slight smile crossed his face. "She must have kept the return address all this time."

"But why write you for help?" Michael asked.

"She knows a little about what I'm doing here. It was just one of those sketchy catching up kind of letters I sent her." He looked around, uncomfortable. "When I lived in Michigan with my mom, Elise and I were like best pals. We're the same age, only she's younger by a few months. We hung out a lot because we had almost the same friends." His voice trailed off as memories took hold of him.

"Sam." Michael spoke and waved a hand in front of his face. "Sam?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Mike, just got distracted there. What?"

"Maybe you should go up there and see what's happening. I'd be happy to go along, and I'm sure Fi wouldn't mind. If they're making threats, it's gotten past the negotiating nicely stage."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Fiona prodded him. "You've jumped in to help total strangers. Isn't it time you did something for your family?"

He knew how Fiona felt about her own family. She missed them terribly and couldn't go back to Ireland to see them. Not with people there who wanted her dead. He didn't have that hanging over his head, although there were at least a couple of people he could think of who would have loved for the chance to kick his butt. That wasn't important. Family was, like Fi said.

"Elsa could come along..." Fiona suggested.

"No can do." Sam shook his head. "She's getting ready to go to Europe for two weeks. As much as she and I share, business is not one of those things."

"Well then, you'll be lonely without her." Fiona grinned. "You might as well take a road trip to Michigan and see what's up!"

Sam chuckled. "You won't let it go, will you?"

"This is family, Sam." Michael threw that in, because in the time he'd been in Miami, he learned how valuable and rewarding it could be to have close to you those who shared your genes and their love.

"Okay. If we're driving, I say we take the Caddy. It's less likely to have problems on the road. Plus, it'll make a bigger impression on whomever is trying to take over the farm if Chuck Finley is needed for this job."

"Agreed. Think we should call Jesse on this?" Michael looked for a consensus.

"He seems to be so busy with his job," Fiona responded. "I think after that last one he helped us with, he's got to be careful. His bosses weren't too keen on the way things ended."

"Fi's got a point. We better make it just the three of us," Sam said as he reached for his beer. He drained it and stood. "I'll go home and pack and pick you up in an hour. Oh, and be prepared. Fall in Michigan can get quite chilly."

Fiona stuck her clasped hands between her knees and shivered.

"Yeah, that means no short shorts," Sam said with a laugh. "See you later."

"I don't really have anything for cold weather," Fiona said. "Looks like I'll have to go shopping."

"Fi, you only have an hour," Michael chided her. "Come on, we'll go home and I'm sure you've got enough to at least start with, and you can buy some clothes up there."

"Alright." She grumbled and followed Michael back to the car. "I wonder how people in Michigan dress?"

Michael almost laughed at her. "It's not like we're going to Istanbul. They dress like we do, only warmer."

A little over an hour later, Michael heard Sam's horn sound off in the courtyard. The car door closed and his footsteps tapped up to the landing. The loft door squealed when he opened it. "Hey, you guys ready?"

"Fi's just finishing up." Michael set a medium sized suitcase next to the door and turned back to the bed where Fiona's bags lay on the surface. Two large cases were open and a bag the size of a medium sized dog sat on the floor.

"That's all Fi's stuff? I thought she didn't have any cold weather clothes."

"I'm not packing them to overflowing, Sam. I'm saving room for whatever I buy up there!" Fiona dropped a couple pairs of jeans into one case, reached for the cover, and flipped it closed. "See?" She closed the other one and latched them. "Those are ready, Michael. I just need to get my toiletries and makeup in order."

"Sorry for the holdup, Sam."

"She hasn't even packed her guns yet." Sam shook his head.

"Those are in the duffel near the door," Michael replied. He hefted the two cases and moved toward the door. "Can you help me with these?"

"Sure thing, brother." Sam picked up Michael's case, a suit bag that was draped over it, and the duffel and followed him downstairs. He popped the trunk and they packed everything inside. Sam's suitcase and suit bag were the only things inside until the caravan came along. "Good thing I have a lot of room!"

"As long as Fi doesn't have a lot of opportunity to shop, we should be okay."

"Ah, we could still fit a small body in there if necessary," Sam joked. The loft door closed and Fiona trotted down the stairs. "Is that it, Fi?" He took her bag from her and wedged it into a space between the cases and the trunk wall.

"Yes. Thank you, Sam."

"Okay, does anyone need to make a trip to the bathroom before we go, because I don't wanna have to stop until supper time," Sam said. "Or when we need gas, whichever comes first. I've got a full tank right now and we can get almost to the state line without stopping."

Michael said, "We should grab something that we can eat on the road so we don't have to stop until we absolutely have to."

"If we're in that big of a hurry, why don't we fly?" Fiona asked with hands on her hips.

"Expense, Fi. Just the bag handling fees alone would cost more than the gas to get up there," Sam retorted. He slammed the trunk. "Come on, let's get moving."

Fiona glared at his back, but she didn't say anything. With a spin on her heel, she turned and reached for the back door handle, pulled it open and got inside. Michael took the front seat beside Sam. After a short trip to a market for drinks, sandwiches and snacks, the trio hit the freeway.

"Mike, did you call your Ma and let her know you were leaving?"

"Yes, I did. She wanted to come along, but I didn't think it would be that great an idea. I don't want her in harm's way if this gets dicey."

"Good idea."

Sam didn't say a lot during the first leg of the trip. Fiona sat in back perusing a magazine while Michael watched the scenery. Now and then he asked Sam if he wanted to switch drivers, but every time, he said no.

"When we stop for gas, we can switch."

Maybe we should have flown. It would have gotten us there a lot faster. As much as he tried to distance himself from this, it's really tearing Sam up inside. He hid a smile from his friend by staring out the window. It'll be interesting to see his roots. He's never talked much about Michigan, but I know he spent a lot of time there. He glanced at Sam.

"I'm fine, Mike. We'll switch when we get gas."

"I wasn't going to say a thing."

I have a feeling both Fi and I will learn a lot about Sam in the next few days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The needle was close to empty a half hour south of the Florida border. Sam pulled in to a gas station and pumped the fuel, Fiona ran to the bathroom, and Michael walked around to loosen up his legs to prepare for driving. If they kept up the current pace, they could be in Michigan about nine or so the next morning.

"Hey, Sam, do you still have that letter?"

Sam looked at him with questioning in his eyes. "Yeah, why?"

"I'm just curious. You don't mind if I read it myself, do you?" He held up his hands to stop Sam from protesting. "You seem awfully quiet, and I know you. This isn't normal." He held a hand palm up. "So, does this have to do with this case? If it does, I need to know what it is. Don't tie my hands here, Sam."

He let out a long sigh. The pump stopped, and he set the nozzle back into its resting place. "Here." Sam slipped it out of his pocket and handed it to him.

Michael scanned it but didn't see anything he hadn't heard earlier; it was in the handwriting itself that he saw the signs. Nothing that would crack the case open, however. In Elise's neat script, he read tension and fear. He folded the letter and gave it back to Sam before he took possession of the driver's seat. This family really needed their help, and he almost couldn't wait to speak with Elise to get the details of what was happening.

It was as if Sam had read his mind when he said, "This isn't just about the farm, Mike. This is about what this corporation is doing to my Aunt Betty, Uncle Nick, and Elise. If this kills them..." Sam couldn't finish the sentence. He just got into the car, slammed the door, and belted himself in without another word.

Fiona heard the conversation and patted his shoulder as she slipped into the back seat. "Don't worry, Sam. We're not going to let anything happen to your aunt and uncle's farm. Let's go, Michael. We're wasting time."

"Yes, Fi." Shaking his head at her insistence, Michael started the car and pulled out of the gas station. He drove until the car needed filling again and Fiona took over.

A couple of hours into her shift, the men were asleep. They'd been on the road for over twelve hours, counting the pee breaks and gas fill ups. At the last station, she bought a coffee and drank it straight up. She didn't want Sam or Michael to worry about her staying awake while they slept. She drove through the Tennessee mountains in the dark with little traffic, just a few truckers here and there. She crossed into Kentucky by the time the low gas light went on, and she pushed it just a little longer.

She couldn't get the letter off her mind. When Sam read it, she heard the desperation in Elise's words, along with a hint of guilt in Sam's voice. He hadn't seen these people in years, never made an effort to go home, and now it was coming back to haunt him. It had been decades since his last visit, so Sam had to look up directions on the onboard GPS because he was no longer certain how to get to the farm. Fiona urged him to call Elise to let her know they were coming, but when he did, no one picked up the phone. He left a message.

"Elise, it's Sam. I just wanted to let you know that I'm on the way and my friends and I will be there tomorrow morning. Probably around nine or ten, thereabouts." He paused, swallowing away the emotion. "It's been a long time. I'm... I'm looking forward to seeing you all again. 'Bye."

Thinking back to what he said still brought a lump to her throat. She and Sam had adopted Madeline as their surrogate mother because neither of them had any relatives around. All this time Sam had people who shared his bloodline that he could have seen by hopping on a plane or driving north. Why didn't he? Why not go home? She would have given anything to be able to see her Mum and Da again, not to mention her crazy brothers. Maybe things would become clearer when she was on his home turf.

Sam told her and Michael that Grunewald, Michigan wasn't really home for him; it was just where his mother's side of the family lived. As a Navy brat, he and his mom lived mostly alone in several parts of the country near the coast, east and west, although he did spend several years in Michigan. Fiona had no idea what to expect from the state. She just knew they built cars there, and it was surrounded by lakes. Oh, and it got cold in the fall and winter. If it weren't for a job, she surely wouldn't be visiting at this time of year.

The needle hovered over the E, and she recalled Sam telling her that the tank still had three gallons at that point, but she didn't want to press their luck. An exit was coming up with a couple different filling stations, so she got off and chose one. She leaned up against the car as she filled up, hoping to block some of the light from the overhead lamps that made the area underneath the canopy brighter than daylight. She turned and saw that Michael and Sam both continued to sleep. With their military training and the years of odd hours spying, maybe it didn't even faze them.

The pump stopped. She put the nozzle back and ripped the receipt from the machine. She stuffed it into her pack as she moved around to the driver's side to get in. A movement out of the corner of her eye got her attention, and Fiona turned in time to come face to face with a scruffy man. A ball cap rode low to hide his features. He wore a ripped and dirty pair of jeans, a dirty undershirt covered by a filthy maroon plaid shirt, and his feet were covered with scuffed, worn work boots.

He came at her with a crowbar in one hand and barked at her, "Give me the keys, lady!"

Fiona wouldn't even give him a verbal response. She lashed out, grabbed the wrist of the hand that held the crow bar, and twisted it until he cried out and dropped it while she kneed him, ground her heel into his foot, and her hand reached out to clamp around his throat. She spun him around and pushed him up against the car so hard it rocked. He looked out from under the cap at her with scared eyes. With the vise-like grip, he could barely breathe.

"Fi! Let him go," Michael urged her as he came around the car.

"He tried to attack me," she replied through gritted teeth. "I just want to make sure he doesn't do that to any other unsuspecting and unprepared woman again."

"Don't kill him, Fi. Jeez!" Sam flanked her other side. He and Michael pulled her off of the guy, but when he tried to run, Sam got a hold of his shirt and in two moves had him face down on the cement. "There, now that's how you do it." He grinned.

At that moment, a squad car pulled up to the pumps a dozen feet away. A state trooper got out of the vehicle, hitched up his belt on his thin frame, and approached them. "I got a call about some lady beatin' on a guy at the fillin' station."

"He pushed me up against the car and wanted the keys," Fiona replied with controlled civility. "I was only protecting myself."

"And where were you two fellas durin' all this?"

"We were in the car, asleep," Michael answered.

The trooper shook his head. "One of you shoulda pumped the gas. Ain't safe fer a lady to be out here alone at this hour." He smiled at Fiona and tipped his hat.

Realizing that flirting might get them back out on the road faster, Fiona said, "I'm sure my friends are glad we didn't have to learn the hard way." She batted her eyes a couple of times. "Now, can we be on our way? We're really late getting back home."

"I have to write up a report."

"Can we make it quick? There's a crisis back home, and we need to get back as soon as possible."

"Well, if you don't wanna press charges, you can be on your way this minute, Miss..."

"Charlotte. Charlotte Finley." She looked down at the criminal in disgust. She wanted him to pay for what he'd done, because who knew if he'd done this to other women? She shook her head.

"I s'pose I can talk to the clerk. She's the one who called in the complaint."

"Oh, would you? That would be so perfect." Fiona gave him a warm smile. He smiled back.

"Sure. Do you have a card or something I can take so I can contact you if I have to?"

"I don't, but Michael does, don't you?"

Michael reached into his pocket and found several. It all depended on what alias he wanted to use. He even had one of his old CIA cards with his real name on it. "Uh, here you go. This one's pretty up to date, at least with the phone number." He handed it to the trooper.

He studied the card a moment and looked back up to Michael. "Okay, thank you, Mr. Westen. Miss Finley." He nodded toward Sam, not sure who he was, and he didn't volunteer his name. It wasn't important anyway. He tipped his hat again. "Well, you folks drive safe. Have a nice day."

"Thank you," Fiona said. "You too."

After the trooper picked up the perp and pushed him into the squad's back seat, Sam said, "I believe that it's my turn to drive."

"Why don't you try to get a few more hours of sleep and I'll drive." Michael took the keys from Fiona. "We'll take a short break, get in the car, and I'll drive until we get to Michigan. Then you can take over and finish the trip, Sam."

"Makes sense, since I know better than you two where we're going. I think."

Everyone took a bathroom break and then they were on the road again. Sam retreated to the back seat and Fiona rode next to Michael. She dozed off and didn't even notice when Michael stopped to let Sam take the wheel. She woke up with a big city around them.

"Where are we," she asked as she blinked and studied the landscape full of businesses and factories – lots of abandoned, decaying factories, and homes. In the distance she saw a professional baseball field.

"We passed over the state line a little while ago," Sam answered. "Mike didn't know to take us up highway 23 before we got to Toledo, so we're taking I-75. We'll get there a little later, but not too bad."

Michael hit a button on the GPS. "About an hour and a half and we should be there." He glanced at his watch. "Right around lunch time."

"Okay." She watched the suburbs of Detroit whiz by on both sides of the freeway. It didn't look much better than parts of Miami, but at least down there the trees had green leaves. The trees on both sides of the roadway displayed an explosion of yellow, orange, reds, browns, and some green. It was beautiful, but in a few weeks, Fiona knew the trees would be bare. So depressing. And then the snow wouldn't be far behind.

"Did you sleep okay back there?" Sam glanced at her in the mirror.

"It was fine. I've definitely slept in worse places." She shook her head to clear away those memories. "Does Michigan get snow?"

"Not like when I was a kid, but yeah. Worried we'll have some while we're here?" He gave her an impish smile.

She pouted slightly. "There should be a natural law that as long as the trees have leaves, there should be no snow."

"Ha, I like that one. Good luck trying to enforce it."

Fiona continued watching the world go by outside the window and hoped that the weather would be kind, even if the circumstances were less than ideal.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Glancing at Michael, Sam asked, "Mike, how are we going to play this? I'd love to do a Chuck Finley, but there are probably too many people who will recognize me as Sam Axe."

"No, we can't use Finley on this one," Michael agreed. "What we should do is find a place to stay outside of town, at least for Fi and me. That way we won't ruin a cover we might decide to use later. We'll look around town, give people the impression we're there to buy property. Then we can get a better handle on how MiFarm is tightening the screws on people."

"Fight fire with fire and pretend to buy the farm out from under them?"

"Not quite. Hopefully we can find out something incriminating and threaten to expose them if they continue to harass the farmers who don't want to sell."

"I never liked that one, because the minute we're gone, they'll be right back at it." Sam shook his head. "Then it might get worse."

"Not by the time we're done with them." Michael gave him a devilish grin.

"I'd feel a lot better if we stuck together. We can still find out plenty on these guys by checking out things in the middle of town. Trust me, I know this place. People will talk if they're unhappy and they have a listening ear."

He found his exit and got off the freeway. Sam drove north west, under the freeway, and a mile ahead the road ran straight through a small downtown. It was full of quaint little shops, a grocery store and a few fast food places along with home style diners. It was quite lively with the lunch time crowd. Now and then someone would stare at the Cadillac with Florida plates, but most people just ignored the vehicle. Most of the vehicles that were parked on the street were trucks, SUVs, or older, practical cars, with a couple of muscle cars thrown in.

"Welcome to downtown Grunewald," Sam announced with little fanfare. "Should we stop for lunch?"

"I'd like to get to the farm first," Michael answered.

Sam knew his friend. He was eager to get information and start working the case. "You got it."

A sign stretched over the street announcing a fall harvest fair coming that weekend. Smiling pumpkins danced with scarecrows to decorate the banner.

"I think we need to stick around for the festival this weekend," Fiona said. "Maybe by then people will have warmed up to us and we can get a lot of intel under the disguise of mingling."

Michael agreed. "Good idea, Fi. I doubt we'll get this wrapped up in three days."

After passing through the town, Sam took a left and drove alongside a muddy river, over a bridge, and around a curve. A railroad crossing came up suddenly with no signal lights, just a set of old weather-beaten white signs. The letters identifying it as a railroad crossing were almost obliterated by time and the elements. Sam stopped. He looked both ways, looked again, and crossed.

He noticed Michael watching. "A freight train going full speed through here is easy to miss with just one sweep. One of my best friends from high school was killed at that crossing."

"I'm sorry, Sam." Michael's voice was soft and reverent as if they'd just passed over holy ground.

"Yeah, that place has always haunted me every time I come back. It's been so long, I almost forgot about it." A train horn blared as Sam navigated another curve and the road ran parallel to the tracks. Within seconds a locomotive rumbled through the intersection, gained on them, and the lone line of cars passed at a great speed. "See what I mean?"

"They shouldn't be allowed to go that fast," Fiona said. "It's too dangerous."

"Well, if after defeating MiFarm you feel like taking on the railroad companies, you go right ahead, Fi." Sam slowed as he neared a driveway. To the right side of it stood a mailbox and a bright blue metal plate with white numbers showing the farm's address. "This is it, the Fraser farm."

"Fraser?" Michael asked with a raised eyebrow.

"My mother's maiden name was Fraser. This is my mom's brother's place. It's been in the family for generations, ever since the first Frasers settled in the area." He drove up the gravel lane to the barnyard where a small parking area had been created. "I don't see anybody around, but that doesn't mean much if everybody's out working. Might as well get out and stretch your legs, and we'll go to the house first."

Sam exited the car and Michael and Fiona followed. The car doors slamming echoed off the two barns set into an L-shape in the yard to block the north and west winds. To the south, the field was full of cows, all white with black spots, and some brown. A lot of little ones wandered around looking for their mothers and bleating. The sight caught Fiona's attention. She watched them with a wistful smile on her face.

"Hey Fi, come on," Michael said. "We're going to the house with Sam."

"Huh? Oh, coming!" She turned and took a step, just barely missing a dark brown pile. She jumped away as if it tried to bite her. "Oh my god, Sam!"

"What?" He whirled, concerned by her exclamation. He looked where she stared, and a chuckle came up from deep inside. "Oh yeah, I forgot to warn you to keep your eyes on the ground. Lots of surprises around here." His chuckle turned into a laugh when she gave him a disgusted look and tip toed around the pile. Her eyes stayed down all the way across the yard. "You don't have to worry once you get past the laundry lines. The cows aren't allowed this close to the house."

"Do they know that?"

"We have these things called fences, and when they aren't behind one, Matthew herds them out to the fenced areas. Sometimes they leave a little something behind." He answered her questions with amusement. "You have absolutely no farm experience, do you, Fi?"

"In Ireland, things were a little different," she answered and looked away, pretending to analyze the lush gentle hills. "Michael doesn't know anything about a farm. Do you, Michael?" She turned back and set her eyes on him.

"Uh, well, I was holed up on one in Eastern Europe once," he stammered. "But that's about it. I slept in the barn with a cow or two."

Sam gave Michael a look. "Mike, the women aren't that ugly in Eastern Europe. I know!"

Michael's glare made Sam laugh again. It was either that or let the tension get to him and make him close-mouthed again. He turned from his friends and stepped up to the back door, rapped his knuckles against the wood, and waited. There was no answer. He tried again. "Nobody's here. Hmm, Elise is usually in the house."

Michael turned around on the porch and surveyed the yard. "There aren't any vehicles. Like the place has been deserted except for the animals."

"That's not right. I don't like this." Sam reached up for the door frame and searched with his fingers. "I wish I could remember where they kept the key." He snapped his fingers. "Wait." A milk can stood on the corner of the porch. Years ago it had been turned into an ash tray, but someone turned the top around again and covered it. Sam lifted off the cover and looked inside, reached down to the bottom and picked up the key. "This should be it." He smiled and turned back to the door.

The key fit perfectly and Sam unlocked the door, opened it wide, and let them inside before going behind them. He dropped the key into his pants pocket and made a note to have another made in town at the hardware store, once he knew what was going on with his aunt and uncle and cousin.

"No notes left anywhere. Your cousin knew you were coming, didn't she," Fiona asked as she looked around the kitchen. It looked like it belonged in a museum, from the scuffed oak table with six chairs, an old gas stove and refrigerator, down to the large sink. The white enamel cracked and chipped off in some areas, exposing the iron underneath. The faucet with double handles dripped. At least the kitchen was kept in a neat and orderly fashion. A clock ticked in another room and chimed ten o'clock.

"Sam, I think this fridge is older than mine," Michael remarked as he studied it.

"I think you're right. It's pretty safe to say that nothing in this house is energy efficient." Sam walked through a doorway that led to the dining room. The two followed him and discovered another room that had frozen in time somewhere in the 1930s or 40s. Only the living room had more modern furnishings. A large picture window gave them a panorama view of the road.

"Hello?" Sam called up the stairs. "Aunt Betty? Uncle Nick?" Silence. "Elise?" Still no answer. Sam shook his head. "I am so not liking this, Mike." He pulled out a handgun from his pocket and took off the safety.

"I'll cover you when you get up there. Fi, watch from down here," Michael ordered her. She nodded and took up a defensive position with her gun in front of her.

Sam and Michael went up and swept each room before returning downstairs. "There's nobody here, on a weekday afternoon. Something's wrong." He headed for the back door muttering a name. "Matthew."

Michael and Fiona followed, not sure who he was talking about. They recalled the name from the letter and both assumed he must be a farmhand. Sam hurried to the larger of the two barns and walked through a door on one end, moved quickly past the empty pens inside, and emerged on the west end. The door to the other barn was to the left, and the three went through it without finding anyone. Sam stood outside the second barn, hands on hips, scanning the fields for any sign of another human. A line of short evergreens served as a boundary on the south end of the property.

"Come on, get back in the car. I have to lock up the house." He secured the door and trotted to the Cadillac. He pulled out of the space and raced down the lane to the road.

"Where are we going, Sam?" Michael asked as Sam looked left before turning right onto the road.

"The neighbor's house. It's down south just a half mile or so."

The neighbors' property was also devoid of any residents. "Is there a town meeting or something going on today that we're not running into anyone," Michael asked as he looked around the yard. Gravel crunched, and he smiled. "We're in luck. Someone's here."

A black SUV with a logo on the door stopped, blocking Sam's Cadillac in the driveway. An older man got out and was talking on a radio. He brought it down to a clip on his waist and raised a shotgun up to level at them.

"Who are you people? What are you doing here?"

It didn't escape Michael's attention that the logo on the SUV was that of MiFarm Corporation. He took a step forward and put his hands up when the shotgun barrel wound up inches from his chest. "Hi, we're just looking for some people. We thought they'd be here."

"What happened to the Schroeders?"

The man glanced at Sam. "The Schroeders haven't lived here in, oh, five years. This is MiFarm land, mister." All the while he spoke, he kept his eyes on Sam. A light flickered in his eyes and the shotgun began to lower. "Hey, I know you."

"You do," Sam asked. He sure didn't remember this guy, not at first, but the longer he studied him he looked increasingly familiar.

"Yeah, you're that boy, Sam Axe, who lived at the Frasers' with his momma. Yeah." He nodded and a grin crossed his face. "Been a long time, son."

"Yes, sir, it has. It's been so long, I'm afraid I don't remember you. I'm sorry."

"Albert Koenig."

"Oh yes, Mr. Koenig, you had all those geraniums lined up along the sidewalk in front of your house in town." Sam smiled.

"Yep, still do when the weather's more agreeable." He smiled and showed off a set of yellowed teeth. "So, what on earth are you doing back here? I thought you went and joined the Navy. Got tired of seeing the world?" Mr. Koenig laughed.

Sam gave him a reserved smile. "No. Elise sent me a letter, and I decided I'd come back and visit my family and friends. Mr. Koenig, this is my best friend Michael Westen and his fiancee Fiona Glenanne. Mike and Fi, Mr. Koenig. He was the biology teacher at the high school when I did my time there."

"Pleased to meet you. But now I have to ask you to leave the property. This is all owned by MiFarm now."

"And my aunt and uncle's place?"

"No, they're one of the last holdouts around here. MiFarm's board has been trying everything to get them to sell." He paused and stared north across the open yard to the old Victorian farmhouse. "Maybe after this, they'll change their minds."

"After this? Mr. Koenig, what happened?" Sam stepped closer to him.

The older man turned to Sam and replied, "Your Uncle Nick had a spell. Don't know if it was a stroke or a heart attack or what, but he's been in the hospital the last couple days."

"That must have been right after Elise sent me that letter," Sam said to his companions. "What hospital is he at?"

"They took him into the clinic in Frankenmuth, but I think he might have been moved to Flint or Bay City." He shrugged. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

"We'll start in Frankenmuth and go from there. Thanks, Mr. Koenig."

"Good luck, Sam." He stopped him with a hand on his arm. "And if I were you, I'd talk to your family and have them sell. It's better for everybody." His mouth twitched, and he continued, "Nick isn't young enough or healthy enough to do the work, and Betty isn't much help. Elise can't do it alone."

"Where's Matthew? What about the other hands?"

Mr. Koenig shrugged. "The hands left. MiFarm pays better wages and benefits. Nobody's seen Matty since around the time Nick wound up in the hospital."

Sam's eyes grew wide and he pointed toward the field. His voice rose. "What? Are you telling me that those animals have been sitting out in that field for the past two days and haven't even been milked?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Mr. Koenig smiled sheepishly.

Sam's face set into a scowl, and it was all he could do to keep himself from slapping the smirk off the man's face. He dropped his arm, his hands balled into fists, and Mr. Koenig saw the anger in Sam's expression.

Before he could do something he'd regret, Sam turned and strode toward the car, muttering something under his breath again. Michael and Fiona followed and got in. Sam cranked the car as if he was mad enough to yank out the starter, turned the car around in the yard, and faced the truck. Mr. Koenig stood near the door, slowly putting his shotgun inside. Sam blared the horn at him and rolled down the window.

"Get that piece of crap out of my way right now... sir... or I'll push it for you!"

Mr. Koenig's eyes bugged. He was too scared by the look on Sam's face to test him. He started the truck and pulled out of the driveway as fast as he could. When the truck tires hit the road, Mr. Koenig tore off southward, while Sam headed back to the farm, shaking his head in disbelief.

"This is crazy, Mike. It's like a freakin' nightmare! People around here used to care about other peoples' farms. If someone got sick, the neighbors pitched in. Now it's every man for himself out here, and nobody cares if a hundred cows stand out in the elements and freeze or are in need of milking for two days. It's criminal."

"A hundred cows? Seriously?" Fiona looked between the seats at Sam. "What are we going to do with that many cows?"

"We're going to the farm," Michael answered for Sam as his eyes were locked on his friend. "And we're going to herd up all those cows and get them to the barn to milk. Right, Sam?"

"That's right. I don't expect you two to help with the milking. There are five machines for that, but I'll need somebody to bring 'em in."

Michael volunteered, even though he didn't have the faintest idea of how to herd cows. "I'll do that."

"Good. There's a pen behind the smaller barn. Just get them in there and I'll take them to the milking parlor. Fi, do you know how to hand milk?"

She sputtered. "Are you kidding? I only know how to drink milk from a plastic container from the store!"

"It's okay." He turned in to the driveway, raced to the end, and jammed on the brakes. As he turned off the car, he said, "I'll teach you how to run the machine. It's really easy."

Thinking about her shoes and how they would be ruined mucking around in a barn, she still answered, "Okay." This was Sam's family homestead, and she would be damned if she let a faceless corporation take it over this way.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Michael lost count of how many cows he led into the fenced in area. Some of them went willingly, as if in relief that they would finally be milked. Others dawdled, and a few Michael had to pull with all his might to get them to move. He took a break when there were only a few left in the field. They were the cows that lay on the ground and refused to get up. The sun was setting in the west and there were still so many cows left to milk. He couldn't even calculate how long they would be awake tonight just to catch up.

He entered the barn where the milking was done, the place that Sam called the milking parlor. He found Sam and Fiona moving from one cow to the other either attaching the milking apparatus or taking it off a cow. He was amazed at how Fiona moved about like she'd been doing the task a good part of her life, and Michael was amazed at his friend's untapped skill. He noticed that Fiona found a pair of rubber boots to wear and her wedge sandals hung by the straps from a coat hook on the wall near the barn door. Sam also wore a pair of boots, and his shoes sat on a bench. Sam saw Michael watching him and Fiona with fascination.

"Hey Mikey, are all the cows in from the field?"

"No, there are still about ten of them that won't move."

He straightened and looked over the back of a brown spotted cow. "They're not getting up? That's bad, Mike."

"They're not going to explode, are they," Michael asked with his face registering alarm.

"No. They'll just stop producing milk, if they haven't already." He came out into the aisle and approached his friend as he wiped his hands on a towel. "It's been ages since I've done this, but I can tell you I know when a herd's not producing. Fi and I have discovered that half these cows have already dried up. The ones that are still out there are probably in pain if they've got mastitis, and that's why they're not getting to their feet."

"What?" Michael's head was spinning. He was so far out of his element, he didn't know what to think anymore.

Sam flapped a hand. "Never mind. Just see what you can do about those cows in the field. Keep them separate from the others somehow. I might have to call a vet in tomorrow morning to look at them if they don't produce anything tonight, or they seem to be hurting."

"This is serious, then."

"Yeah, Mike." Sam nodded with a grave expression on his face. "Something like this could put a major economic crimp in the dairy farm. Enough to make some people decide to sell."

Sam's words plagued Michael as he returned to the field, renewed in his determination to get the cows inside. He put a lead on each one, pulled until the animals stood, and steered them into stalls at one end of the barn away from the cows that were already milked. When the last one came in, he asked Sam what he could do to help. Sam directed him to the feed stores and asked him to feed the cows. By the time he finished, only a few cows waited to be milked.

"I don't know how your aunt and uncle did all this," Michael said as he leaned against the barn wall and rested. He felt like he could drop at any second, but then he looked at Sam and Fiona. Sometime during their labors they slipped out of their jackets and Sam took off his Hawaiian shirt and worked in an undershirt. Fiona wore a tank top. It was cool in the barn but with the energy the two expended, they weren't feeling it.

"I've got no idea. If Matthew was here..." Sam shook his head. "Not even he and Elise could do this alone. I wish we knew where everybody went!"

"Don't worry about it, Sam. We'll figure that out tomorrow," Michael assured him. "Is there anything I can do?"

"We'll be done here in about a half hour or so. Why don't you go into the house and find something for dinner?"

Michael glanced at his watch. It was almost nine in the evening and no one had eaten lunch. "When do we have to do this again?"

"Oh, about five in the morning, and around four in the afternoon."

"Twice a day? Sam, we'll never have any time to go out looking for a way to neutralize this farm corporation!"

Sam rested a forearm on the backside of a black and white Holstein. "Don't you think I know that? After tomorrow morning's milking, I'm going into town to see if I can find some help. You and Fi work on the corporation thing." He turned back to monitor the milking of the cow.

Fiona gave Michael a sympathetic look, and as he passed her, she spoke softly for his ears only. "Don't mind him, Michael. He's tired." Her hand touched his arm. "Imagine how you'd feel if you came home to find this mess waiting and no one around to take care of it."

Michael nodded in understanding. "It's a good thing he knew what to do." He left the barn and went to the house. Sam had it unlocked so he was able to go inside.

By the time the two trudged into the kitchen, Michael had a simple meal of sliced turkey and a salad waiting. Sam had to force himself to eat something; he would have preferred to just go to bed. The three ate in silence, and after cleaning up, Sam went upstairs where there were four bedrooms. Two of them would have been occupied if his relatives had been there. The third room was once his, so he chose it, dropped onto the bed fully clothed, and fell asleep immediately. It had been a long time since he worked so hard.

Fiona kept Michael company while he put away the leftovers and cleaned up the kitchen. When he finished, he hung the wet towel over the oven door handle, turned, and found her with her head resting on her arms, fast asleep. He smiled and carried her upstairs to the other spare room. He undressed her and put her under the covers. In the morning after the milking, if anyone was still up for it, they could move their things into the house. Before he settled in, Michael checked the doors to be sure they were locked and turned off the lights. He went upstairs and climbed in beside Fiona, curled her into himself, and fell asleep. He wasn't sure what to expect from such an old home with such ancient furnishings, but it sure wasn't a comfortable mattress that felt like sleeping on a cloud after all the work they'd done.

"Mike." A voice rasped near his ear. "Mike, come on, wake up!"

Michael rolled to his back and opened his eyes slowly. "Sam, it's still dark."

"I know, but we've gotta get up and milk those cows!" He jostled his friend's arm. "I've got some strong coffee brewing, so up and at 'em! Come on, Fi! You've got this down, I need you." Sam turned away and Michael soon heard his feet pounding down the stairs, followed closely by the back door slamming.

"Ohhhhh," he moaned. He prided himself on staying in shape, but Michael felt like he used muscles that hadn't gotten a workout in some time before yesterday. "Fi, come on, wake up."

"More milking," she muttered. "I don't know how these people can do it every day, twice a day."

"Dedication. And we dedicated ourselves to helping Sam's family, so the way to do that right now is to get up and work." He dragged himself into a sitting position. Fiona slowly joined him.

By the time they arrived in the barn, Sam had five cows on machines and he sat on a short stool working on a sixth manually. His cheek planted in the cow's side, he glanced at them and grinned. "Check this out, guys. I've still got it!" The milk streamed in a quick rhythmic hiss of liquid against the metal pail that matched the beat of the machines. "Mike, have you ever done anything like this before?"

"I milked some goats when I was at the farm in Europe," Michael answered, not sure that qualified him.

"Well then, go get yourself a cow and give it a shot. I don't think it's much different, just takes more hand strength." Sam finished with the cow and pulled away the bucket and stool. "Fi, can you watch the cows on the machines?"

"Sure."

The three created a system between machine and manual milking, at least for a little while. Michael and Sam's hands, unused to doing that kind of labor, grew tired and cramped, so they took brief breaks. It warmed up in the barn again as they worked, although their actions weren't as frantic as the night before. They'd all become experts at herding and milking in less than twenty four hours.

Michael turned the last cow out to the pasture and returned to the barn to find Sam and Fiona cleaning out the machine parts and buckets. Fiona blew a strand of sweat-stained hair away from her face and said to him, "When I got together with you, Michael, I never fully appreciated what the life of a spy would all entail. This was definitely not in my expectations!"

He laughed and placed a hand around her waist to give her a squeeze. "This is a new one on me too." He watched Sam hang up the last bucket. "Did you help with this when you were a kid?"

"Yeah, every morning before I went to school and when I came home, except for when I had football practice." He worked his shoulders to get out the kinks, and he glanced at his watch and noted the time. "It's almost eight. I think we finished up a lot faster this time, but I don't hold out much hope that we'll be able to kick it up any more. We need more bodies if we're gonna run this place for the time being."

"Let's get cleaned up, go into town for breakfast, and see what we can scrounge up for help," Fiona suggested.

"Great idea, Fi." Michael led the way to the house. "Who gets first dibs on the shower?"

"I vote for Sam. He's, well... peeew!" She fell into step with Michael and Sam and gave him a teasing smile.

He glanced at her with a scowl on his face. "You should talk, sister. You don't exactly smell like a field of sweet peas."

The group resolved the bathing issue and changed into clean clothes. Sam broke in the pot of coffee and stood with his backside against the counter sipping on his cup when Fiona and Michael came downstairs. Sam wore jeans and an old flannel shirt that hung open to reveal a gray shirt with GHS emblazoned on it. He met Michael's eyes and smiled.

"Can you believe it? I've got a whole bunch of shirts hanging in my closet that I haven't worn in years, and they don't fit too bad. The tees are a little tight, but they're wearable."

"That's great. We're going to need some more... casual things... if we intend to do any more farming."

"Well, if we have any success in town finding help, there'll be no need." Sam pushed away from the counter and left room for Michael and Fiona to grab some coffee. "I'm thinking maybe we can get some kids out here, like high school age, and..." He was interrupted by the sound of the back door opening. Instinctively, Sam set his cup on the table and reached for his gun that he kept at his back in his waistband.

A gasp came out of the woman who stood in the door, and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. She stared at Sam. Sam's eyes locked onto her, and a smile stretched across his face. He put the gun away and in a few strides he crossed the room to enfold her in his arms.

She threw her arms around his shoulders. "Sammy, you came! I knew you would!" Tears leaked from her eyes as she half cried, half laughed in joy at the sight of him. She pulled away far enough to get a good eyeful. "You look terrific!"

"So do you, Lise," he responded using the nickname he'd given her so many years ago. That brought on a new set of tears and she burrowed into him as he kissed her cheek.

"Welcome home, Sammy. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Sam disengaged himself from Elise's embrace and turned to his friends. "Lise, I'd like you to meet my friends, Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne. Mike, Fi, this is my cousin Elise."

"Very nice to meet you both," Elise said with a wide smile that bore a resemblance to the one Sam wore when he introduced them. Looking at the two, Michael and Fiona could definitely see some family resemblances. Elise turned back to Sam and said, "I knew you'd come! Daddy didn't believe me, but I knew you would."

"We came as fast as we could driving," Michael said. "Sam left a message for you before we arrived, but he never got a call back. We showed up yesterday morning and no one was here."

"Matthew's gone?" Elise's eyes widened. "He promised he would stay and take care of the herd!" She grew agitated and looked around at them. "Where are the cows? Are they alright? We left them in the field when I had to take Daddy to the clinic!"

Sam gripped her arms and spoke in a soothing tone. "It's okay, Lise. We took care of them once we realized that nobody was here. Come on, sit down, have a cup of coffee, and then we'll go get some breakfast..."

"Oh no, I can't!" She shook her head vigorously and pulled out of Sam's hold. She slipped out of her fleece coat and hooked it on a peg near the door. She wore jeans and a flannel shirt tucked in that showed off her thin frame. Her hair hung in a long braid down her back, the dark brown generously streaked with grey. Her brown eyes sparkled as she turned back to them and said, "I'm making you breakfast, because I know if you've already got those cows milked, you didn't have any yet." Her smile was back, much sunnier than the sky full of clouds that threatened to join forces and unleash a rain storm.

"We've been up since four," Sam said. He went to the coffee maker and poured himself another cup.

"And the three of you took care of them all? Wow, for city folk, I'm impressed!" She washed her hands at the sink, turned to the refrigerator to pull out some eggs, butter, and a few other things. As she spoke, she moved a cast iron skillet kept on the back burner to the front and started the flame underneath it. She swiped her hands together and turned back to them. That's when she saw the dire look on Sam's face, and her own sobered. "Sammy, what happened to the cows?"

"Almost half of them dried up, Lise. Two days out in that field caused them to stop producing."

She hung her head and muttered a curse. With her hands on her hips and her jaw set, she stared out the window at the farm south of them that used to belong to the Schroeders. Her jaw worked, grinding her teeth, as she blinked and tried to keep the tears at bay. "It's not like it's going to put us in the poor house, but we needed those cows to produce." She sighed and let out the rest of the tension, then returned to the skillet.

"After breakfast, I'm going into town to see if I can get us at least two or three hands to help out..."

"Don't bother, Sammy. Nobody'll wanna help us." Elise mumbled, then turned to face the three who sat at the table facing her. "I'm sorry you had to drive all the way up here for nothing."

"Elise, this isn't over," Michael assured her as his gaze locked on her. "We'll make sure that MiFarm doesn't take your land."

"But everyone else has given in. Just us and the Johansens down on Waverly Creek Road have been holding out. I heard that just yesterday the USDA was called out on them too." She shook her head. "That's the third time for them. If they show up again and see we've got cows that all of a sudden aren't producing, they're going to try to find something wrong with us."

"Will they?" Fiona asked.

"They shouldn't, but you know these government types. If they want to find something, they will."

Michael chuckled, but there was no humor in the sound. He crossed his arms in front of himself.

"Do you work for the government?" Elise grimaced. "Sorry, I didn't..."

"It's okay, Elise. One of those 'government types' burned me, so I know exactly what you mean."

"Burned? What's that mean?" She glanced at Sam with incomprehension in her eyes.

"Mike was a spy, and the CIA fired him. They call it burning."

"Ahh. I see." She relaxed her shoulders. "Thank you. I thought I just insulted my only hope for aid. You'll have to excuse me, sometimes I just let stuff fly without thinking." She turned back to the skillet and flipped the hash browns. "So, anyway, we're down to half a productive herd and no hands, and the USDA is practically next door... I don't know what you can do to help us."

"We'll worry about that." Michael turned to Sam. "When you go into town, Fi and I'll go along. We'll talk to people, see if we can find out anything."

"I'll find a wifi spot and look up what I can on MiFarm Corporation." Fi added. Then she looked at Elise and asked, "Do you have the internet around here? Or is it only in town?"

Elise shot over her shoulder. "Yes, we have the internet here. You don't even need to go into town for that. Matter of fact, I've got it on a secure wireless router, so you can pick it up anywhere in the house." She threw a smile over her shoulder. "Just because we're rural doesn't mean we're backward, Fiona."

A slight blush tinged Fiona's cheeks. "I'm sorry, Elise. I didn't mean to imply anything like that."

"I know. Maybe this is a good thing that you came here, get a little education on what goes on in small farming communities like this. Although these days, the town is growing because the farmers sold out and are building homes near downtown. Some of them have already moved away. It's not like how things used to be."

The skillet sizzled as Elise cooked breakfast and the three sat at the table discussing the situation with her. Until they learned more from the people, it would be difficult to come up with a solution.

"Right now, knowing what we do, I think our best bet is to get as much intel as we can on MiFarm, then find a chink that we can use against them," Michael said.

"At the very least, we need to find something on their scare tactics," Sam said. "Evidence of extortion, blackmail, whatever."

Fiona threw in her opinion. "That's where it'll help to talk to people. So while you two go to town, I'll stay here and look on the internet for something."

"No, Fi, I want you to come along." Michael placed a hand on hers. "I want people to see us together. We just have to come up with a cover. I don't think the rich couple looking to buy farm property will work. We'll be shirt tail relatives."

"Michael and Fiona Fraser," Elise asked, her eyebrows raised. "Or Michael and Fiona Axe?" She laughed. "Sorry, Sammy, but I think Fraser has a better ring to it."

Sam glanced at Elise, then focused on Michael and Fiona. "I have to say, I agree with her."

"Well then, Michael and Fiona Fraser it is," Fiona said with a satisfied smile. "I just need a ring to make it official." Michael rolled his eyes as Fiona held up her hand and twisted the engagement ring on her finger. "Oh, don't worry, Michael. I have something that will work with this."

After breakfast, Sam drove into town with Mr. and Mrs. Michael Fraser. All of them wore jeans and casual clothing to fit in with the locals, but the car would stick out a little too much, so Sam drove Elise's. The older sedan fit into a parallel spot in front of the Bide Your Time Bookstore. The three got out and assembled on the sidewalk, and as they contemplated which way to go, passersby glanced at them. One man's eyes locked on Sam, staring as he kept moving down the sidewalk.

Sam felt his eyes on him, but he ignored the stare. His attention strayed to the bookstore window and the woman he saw inside. She rearranged some books in a nice fall display and looked up. Their eyes met. Neither one moved for a long few seconds, and then a smile tipped up the corners of Sam's mouth. "Ah, there's a friendly face. I think we need to start in here." He jutted his chin toward the bookstore, jammed the keys into his jeans pocket, and moved toward the entrance.

"Who is that," Fiona asked, noting the tender expression on Sam's face.

"Her name is Carol... I mean, was Carol Biermann. Some lucky guy probably snatched her up years ago. Come on." He moved to the door, pulled on the handle and went inside. He found her waiting with a friendly smile.

"Sam."

"You remembered me."

She snorted. "Did you really think I could forget?" She moved forward and hugged him. "It's good to see you again. Such a shame about your uncle."

When she reached out for him, Sam noted the wedding ring on her finger, so he gave her a short, friendly, but chaste hug. "Yeah, he's doing okay at the hospital. Fortunately, they were able to put in a couple stents, and he'll be okay."

Carol moved out of his embrace, but she still kept a hand on his upper arm. "But you know he can't run the dairy anymore. It's too much stress with everything that's been going on around here." She glanced at the two people behind him. "You know what's been happening, don't you?"

"Yeah, we know about MiFarm." Sam introduced her to his friends. He hesitated before announcing their names. "This is Michael and Fiona Fraser."

Suspicion filled her eyes as she gave them a good look. "Fraser?"

"They're shirt tail relatives. Mike's related to Uncle Howard. You know, the one who moved to Detroit to work in the factories."

"Oh, him." Carol made it sound like Uncle Howard was a traitor by leaving. "So, anyway, how've you been, Sam?"

He chatted with her while Michael and Fiona browsed the store without trying to eavesdrop too much, just enough to keep an ear open for any information that might help them. Carol revealed that she married a Shroeder, and after the farm was sold, her husband opened a diner with his part of the sale. She seemed embarrassed that his family caved and expressed admiration that the Frasers defied the big machine. Unfortunately, she didn't know anything that might assist the team in their case.

"It's been great talking with you, Carol, but we've gotta get going."

"Thanks for stopping in, Sam. Maybe while you're here Brian and I can have you over for dinner." She grinned. "We'll have to put a couple table leaves in, but we've got plenty of room for all of you." At Sam's raised eyebrow, she revealed, "We've got three kids. The oldest works in Bay City, but he comes home most weekends. Our other two work in the diner with Brian."

"They're all grown up, huh?"

"Jenny's the baby at twenty six."

Sam shook his head. "Wow, time really flies, doesn't it?"

Carol laughed.

"Speaking of time flying, we've got work to do," Michael said as he tapped Sam's shoulder and put on his sunglasses.

"Yeah. I'll see you later, Carol."

The wooden door closed and the jingle of the bell was muted by the glass pane that rattled when Sam let go of the knob. Fiona smirked at him. She couldn't miss the look on Carol's face when she first saw Sam. It was the wistful smile of a woman who loved him at one time, but for some reason things didn't work out and she found someone else. Still, she didn't forget how she felt about Sam. Fiona was tempted to ask him about her, but she decided to keep silent. No doubt as the three made their way through the tour of downtown, he would cross paths with other women who knew him way back when. He appeared pleased to see Carol, but other encounters might not prove to be as happy a reunion.

"We have to be careful that we don't run through all our potential resources in one day," Michael said as they walked down the street. "Our appearance here has to look more like a casual visit that came at a bad time."

"So we just walk the street and see who else I run into, huh?" Sam looked around at the people walking both sides of the street. Some of them looked vaguely familiar, and they seemed just as interested in him as he was of them.

"Michael, look! A women's clothing store. I'm going to poke around a little bit. You boys behave yourselves, alright?" She smiled at Michael with a devious glint in her eye as she turned away and opened the door. Like the bookstore, a bell tinkled a friendly greeting as she walked inside.

"Let's go over to the Bavarian and get some coffee or something," Sam said. "It's about time of day that the farmers roll into town and hang out and shoot the breeze. Although, who knows, with so few dairy farmers left..." He shook his head. "Come on, let's just check it out."

"I take it that dairy is big around here," Michael said as he stepped off the curb and looked both ways.

"Yeah. Awhile back, some of 'em switched over to crops, and this whole MiFarm thing is going to put dairy farming to an end around here if we don't do something."

"We will."

"You bet we will. I'm not leaving until this gets resolved."

Michael stepped up onto the curb and his eyes locked onto Sam's. "Neither are we."

"Well, alrighty then. Let's go see who's hanging out at the Bavarian!" Sam grinned.

Michael and Sam entered the diner and found it quite busy. Several heads turned as the two men looked for an empty table that would allow them a good view of the place and the people in it without looking too obviously like a couple of guys wanting to stake out the diner. Two stools at the end of the counter were open, so Michael led Sam past the tables and slipped onto one of them.

The woman behind the counter stared at Sam for a few seconds, then smiled warmly and approached. "Well, I never thought I'd see you around here again, Sam! I almost didn't recognize you. You still in the Navy?"

"Nope. I retired."

"Did you get to see the world?"

"More than I wanted to see, Peggy." Sam flipped the cup in front of him upright on the saucer and glanced up. He winked and asked, "So, did you and Robbie get together?"

"Together and apart, Sam. He's old news." One hand waved in the air like she was swatting a fly while the other poured him a cup of coffee. She glanced at Michael as she filled his cup. "Who's your friend?"

"Mike Fraser. He's related to my uncle in Detroit."

"Oh yeah, that guy." She squinted at Michael. "I don't remember him having any kids."

"I'm a stepchild," Michael replied, playing along.

Peggy nodded in understanding. "Funny how you boys managed to blow into town right when all the fur's flying over your Uncle Nick's farm."

Sam snickered. "Bad timing, I guess."

Someone called out for Peggy, and she promised to return for their orders in a minute. Sam took a sip of his coffee and glanced around. Peggy spoke with someone at a table, and he turned cold eyes on Sam. He remembered him well.

"What's up with the guy giving you the evil eye?" Michael muttered behind his cup.

"His name's Roger. If you listen to him tell it, he'd say I stole the Varsity starting quarterback position from him." Sam shook his head. "Not to be cocky, Mike, but it wasn't even close." He took another sip.

"He looks like he wants a piece of you."

"Let him try. Look at him, the most strenuous thing he's done in 30 years is put a spark plug in his tractor." He met Michael's eyes. "His dad had a cash crop farm, mostly corn, and he probably inherited it or works it. The property is on the way into town, it was to the left of the highway."

"Do you think his family was affected by these sales?"

"Not if MiFarm is only looking for dairy farms. What are you thinking?"

"It's probably nothing, but I'm just getting a feeling about that guy."

Sam laughed. "Mikey, sometimes you're just too paranoid. It's just plain latent jealousy rearing its ugly head. As long as I steer clear of him, everything'll be fine."

The three spent enough time downtown for Fiona to find enough clothes to get her through the week, and she even snagged some flannel shirts for Michael that wouldn't make him look like too much of a hayseed. Both of them bought work boots. Sam brought his, so he was completely outfitted for the part. He just got caught unprepared the day before because he was still dressed Florida style and didn't expect to have to work the farm. He loved his Hawaiian shirts, but as long as the team was working the case, he would stick to t-shirts, flannel, and jeans.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

While Michael and Fi were shopping, Sam paid a visit to the high school. He walked the halls to the office, and his work boots thumped on the linoleum floor and echoed softly off the lockers. Nothing had changed, except the kids looked a lot younger than they did in his time at the school. He glimpsed into a classroom and saw the teacher was young. She wouldn't know him. All the teachers he had were probably dead, in a retirement home somewhere, or working security for MiFarm like Mr. Koenig. He stopped at the office and walked through the open door.

"Can I help you, sir?" A grandmotherly type woman asked him with a cheerful voice.

"Yes, I'd like to see whoever is in charge of your FFA program," he answered.

"That would be our principal, Mr. Taggert. He's in his office right now with a student, but he should be done shortly."

"Thanks, I'll wait." Sam sat in a chair near the door. He ran names from the past through his head but he couldn't figure out where a Taggert fit in. Maybe he was somebody in a lower class.

Taggert turned out to be an out of towner, a transplant from the Flint school system. He introduced himself and ushered Sam into his office. "Mr. Axe. Are you new to the area?"

"No, I went to high school here. My uncle is Nick Fraser."

"Oh." Taggert's face fell. "I'm sorry to hear about everything your family is going through."

"Thanks." Sam took the chair Taggert offered, but not the coffee. He felt like he was already swimming in it.

"So... to what do I owe this visit?" Taggert sat behind his desk and folded his hands on the surface.

"First of all, just an aside here, but do you know your security seriously leaves something to be desired? I walked in the west door and made it half way across the building without being stopped or questioned about why I was here. I could have been anybody, carrying a gun..." Which he was, but he wasn't about to let Taggert know that.

The principal interrupted him, squirming in his seat. "This school has never had an incident. It's just not the way things are around here."

"Yeah. I guess I've been too many places and seen too many things." He could have spent the afternoon harping on how even small towns were not immune to terror, but he could see that he'd get nowhere with the guy. "Anyway, the reason I'm here is that we need some help on the dairy farm. If you have any students who are interested in some work, we'll pay them nine bucks an hour to milk in the early morning and at four."

The corner of Taggert's mouth tipped up. "How many do you need?"

"Three or four." Sam uncrossed his legs and leaned forward. "Do you have that many who would be interested?"

"Our Future Farmers of America club has been dwindling over the past few years, especially after MiFarm started buying up the dairies. But we have a core group of kids who are still dedicated to keeping their families' legacies going. Even if the farms are no longer theirs. MiFarm won't hire teens to work their former homesteads, so they need an outlet."

"Sounds like exactly what we need." Sam smiled. "Can you give me a list of the kids who are interested?"

"Better yet," Taggert said with a wide smile. "I'll send them out to your uncle's place at four, and you can give them a try and hire the ones you like. We'll worry about paperwork later."

"That sounds like a good plan. Thanks for your help, Mr. Taggert." Sam stood and shook the principal's hand. "I look forward to seeing if these kids have what it takes."

"You won't be disappointed, Mr. Axe. There are a lot of people who gave up easily when MiFarm came in, but others wanted to fight. They just didn't have the resources to do so, and now their kids are going to suffer the fallout." He shook his head, feeling the shame of those who had no choice. "If something happened to MiFarm and all these farmers could get their land back... anyone who made that happen would be a hero."

The words shook Sam. He wanted to tell the man that if he and his friends had their way, that's exactly what would happen. But he couldn't promise anything, and he couldn't trust anyone but Elise with the truth of why he and Michael and Fiona were there. Not yet.

At four o'clock, cars began to stream down the drive and parked next to the Cadillac. The kids got out and eyed it, nodding appreciatively. Others stared at it with distrust.

"Sammy! The kids are here!" Elise called to him from the kitchen.

Sam was in the dining room with Michael and Fiona looking over some financial information that Michael found on MiFarm. "Okay, let's hope we've got our help out there. Have fun, you two!" He got up and left the house.

"I wonder which of us will have more fun," Michael quipped.

The teens clustered, eight in all, as Sam stepped down the porch and approached them with a friendly smile. "Hey guys, and ladies," he said and nodded to the three girls who bunched together whispering. "My name is Sam Axe, and..."

"You're Sam Axe? THE Sam Axe?" One kid looked at him with awe. "Guys, this is the guy who held the record for most touchdown passes in a season until Rick broke it last year." Sounds of awe and appreciation ran around the group. "It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Axe. A real honor."

Sam chuckled, not expecting such recognition. "Thanks. And you are?"

"Dale Dietrich." He introduced the others, and then he got down to business. "So, you want us to round up the cows and start milking?"

"You got it. Now, we won't be able to hire all of you, so think of this as an audition. My cousin Elise and I will be watching you guys to see how you do, and at the end of the session, we'll let you know which of you we're hiring. Everybody gets paid, though, no matter what happens today."

"Awesome!" Todd grinned, turned, and he and three other teens headed for the field. The girls stayed behind to prepare the milking parlor, and the remaining two boys checked the status of the receptacle for the milk. It was empty, as Elise had a truck come by during the afternoon to pump out what was already collected.

Sam and Elise kept an eye on the kids and he was impressed by how hard they worked. A couple weren't as enthused as the rest, so he immediately put them out of the running. In the end it came down to two of the girls, Maya and Stacie, and Todd and Dale. The kids left excited to have some real cash in their pockets and promised to return at five in the morning to do the next day's milking.

"I'll sleep good tonight," Sam said at dinner. "Not like the dead, like last night."

"It'll be good to have a more normal night's rest," Fiona agreed. "Hey, is there a decent place around here to get a drink? I figure if anyone should know, it would be you, Sam."

"Fi, I was in high school back then." He gave her a disgusted look. "You were on Main Street. You saw the bar near the edge of downtown."

"That's it?" Her nose wrinkled.

"Yep, that's it," Elise answered as she started to clean the table. "Although I hear there's another one opening soon. The farmers don't have much to do anymore except open bars and sit in them all day and drink. Next thing you know, this place'll be like Detroit." She shook her head in dismay. "That's another reason we won't give up. It's like we'd be contributing to the decay of this community. Momma and Daddy won't stand for it!"

Sam heard the hitch in her voice and got up to meet her at the sink. She dropped the plates in the one side and rubbed her eyes to try to rid them of the tears that threatened to spring out. He rubbed her arm with soft soothing motions.

"Hey, it's okay, Lise. We'll work this out and nobody's going to lose another farm to these guys again. Mike's got an angle he wants to try to get more on, and maybe it'll open up something good. It might just take a little time, that's all."

Elise nodded and sniffled. "I know you're going to do everything you can. No matter what happens, thank you." She looked at Michael and Fiona when she spoke. "I can't believe you two, total strangers, came all the way up here to help."

"Sam is our family as much as he's yours, Elise," Michael spoke with a soft tone that conveyed how much Sam meant to him and Fiona. "He's helped us, and me specifically, with family issues. We couldn't let him do this alone."

"Good thing or I'd still be out there milking cows," Sam said with a laugh.

"Now, I think we should check out the nightlife around here, and see what people say after the liquor's loosened them up a bit," Fiona said with a glint in her eye. "Michael?"

"I'm in."

"You can bet they won't have any mojitos," Sam said, "But the beer will most likely be plentiful. Lise, you wanna come along?"

"I don't know..."

"The place will be okay. We'll be gone for just a little while." He placed his hands on her arms and looked into her eyes. "Is that what you're afraid of?"

"No. I... I don't drink, Sam." She pulled from his grip. "It's okay, I want to stay here. You all go have fun and do your spy stuff. I'll be fine here." She gave him a smile.

"Okay."

"Just be home by curfew," she teased in a voice that hearkened back to his younger days.

Sam laughed and led the way out the door. "We'll take the Caddy tonight, Lise. See you later!"

Elise watched the three leave and sighed. She would have liked to go with Sam and his friends, but she promised her mother she would be home for her call from the hospital to keep her up to date on her father's health. And contrary to what Sam thought, she was worried that someone might come under cover of darkness and do something to sabotage the place. I should have insisted that they stay here. I'm afraid for them, for me, and for this farm.

"So, what's up with Elise," Fiona asked. "Did she ever get married?"

"Yeah, but she wasn't married long. Her husband was in the reserves and his unit got called to the Middle East." Sam fell silent for a few moments. "He didn't come back alive."

"That's terrible."

"I know. She loved that guy like crazy." He shrugged. "I guess she never got over him enough to find someone else."

Sam pulled in to a space in the ample parking lot of the Grunewald Garten, the only bar in town. The lot was almost full on a Thursday night, and inside it was dim but busy and loud. Country music blared from the jukebox, pierced by the sharp clack of balls on pool tables. There were three of them toward the back and two dart boards that were all in use. Tables scattered around the place were full, the bar was at least two deep, and people stood around shouting above the music. Smoke hung heavy over everything and everyone, diffusing the neon lights of the beer signs. If it weren't for the lighting and the noise, Michael would think he was at his mom's house.

Michael bought the first round and the three split up to mingle. A few people stopped Sam and said hello, but he didn't hang around long to chat. He'd been gone so long, there wasn't much to say. Besides, they were too sober to talk about what he wanted to hear. Someone bumped into him, and Sam managed to prevent his beer from sloshing onto a strange woman. He turned around and came face to face with Roger.

"You!"

"Hey, Rog."

"Don't pretend like we're buddies, Axe. Thanks to you I didn't get to play senior year, and I didn't get a scholarship out of this crap hole."

"You can't pin that on me."

"Why not? You got my scholarship and went off to that fancy shmancy navy college. What'd you do after that, hotshot? Are you an admiral now or something?"

Roger got into Sam's face and he took a sept back, but there was no more room for him to evade the fumes coming off of his nemesis. "No, I'm not an admiral, Roger. I retired a Commander."

"Bet you got a nice big pension to be driving that Cadillac around."

If you only knew, Rog!

"So, what'd you do, fly those fighter planes or something? Come on, Sammy, everybody wants to know what you were doing in the Navy."

"Yeah, he was probably one of those top gun guys, Roggie," someone from behind him yelled over the music and background noise.

Sam gave the person a dirty look and answered simply. "It's classified."

"Ooooo, I didn't know swabbing decks was so secret." Roger said and laughed. By now, he'd attracted a small group who laughed with him. Sam recognized them, too. A lot of the guys were friends of Roger's and hated Sam just because they stuck by their friend and believed his version of the past.

He could only take so much. Sam decided it was best to just walk away and let them have their fun at his expense. But when he turned, Roger grabbed his arm.

"Hey, sailor boy, what's the matter? Come on, tell us about all those exciting missions cleaning up after those hoity toity captains."

Sam finally had enough, and he brushed Roger's hand from his arm. "For your information, Roger, I was a SEAL."

Roger's eyes bugged. "Oh yeah, right. You?"

"Yeah." It was warm in the place, and he'd rolled up his sleeves, so Sam pulled it up a little farther to show them his tattoo.

"Aw, that proves nothin', man." One of Roger's friends spoke up. "Anybody can get some ink."

"Well, I bet Sammy here's forgotten that he may have been Mr. Superstar on the football field, but I was king of the ring." Without warning, Roger's fist flew at Sam, but Sam ducked.

Sam grabbed Roger's wrist and went on the offensive. Roger swung his beer bottle and somehow connected with Sam's head. But he was too drunk to make much of an impact, and Sam manged to twist his arm behind his back and shove him into the bar hard enough to knock the wind out of him, making his scream for help an ineffective wheeze. A fist came from out of nowhere and caught Sam in the side. Others ganged up on him until Michael and Fiona converged on the scene. With Michael's knowledge of martial arts, and Fiona's own brand of fighting, it didn't take long for Sam to recover and dispatch a couple of the rowdies.

By the time the cops walked into the bar, the bystanders were back to drinking like nothing ever happened and the instigators were out cold on the floor. The officer who led a team of four into the bar looked around, saw the bodies on the floor, and looked up at the three people who stood over them. He recognized the one who pressed a napkin to a cut on his cheek.

"Holy crap, Sam Axe. If I'd known you were in town, I would have just come and locked you up right away and avoided this trouble." He tried, but he couldn't keep a straight face.

Sam looked at him and laughed. "Erik, you old dog! It's good to see you again. Mike, Fi, this is an old buddy of mine, Erik Johansen. His folks own the dairy right behind us, and he and I were always hanging out and getting into trouble together. Now look at you. You crossed over to the right side of the law." He raised a hand and took in the uniform.

"I'm the chief around here, Axe. If I find out you started this..."

"No, Erik, it was Roger." Sam glanced down at the unconscious man. "I swear. I was just minding my own business and he had and his friends got in my face and wouldn't leave the past in the past."

Johansen followed his gaze, shook his head and sighed. "That guy'll never learn. You never mess with an Axe."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Erik locked up the cell and gave the ruffians one last look before returning to the reception area where Sam and his friends waited. Sam reluctantly gave him the complaint form.

"Having second thoughts?"

"Yeah. Rog was just blowing off some steam, you know? He's had it out for me since high school. He thinks I took away his opportunity to go to college."

"Don't feel sorry for him, Sam. He's doing pretty good with his dad's farm."

"Still, I can't imagine it made his day to see me in town."

"Yeah, well, right now, he's not feeling a thing, but when he wakes up, he'll have one hefty headache and he'll have only himself to blame for it." Erik replied. He sat on the edge of the lone desk in the room and asked, "What are you doing here, anyway? Thought for sure you'd come home when your Mom died, but when you didn't... Quite frankly, I thought you were either dead yourself or you just wanted to stay away from the bad memories."

"Yeah, well, I was in the middle of Columbia at the time killing my career in the Navy."

"Ouch. What happened, or can't you talk about it?" Erik waved for them to sit in some chairs, and he picked up one, turned it around and straddled it.

Sam glanced at the floor. He hated talking about it, but he never would have reconnected with Michael if he hadn't gone through his career meltdown. "I messed around with an admiral's wife and got my sorry butt sent on a secret mission. The deck was so far stacked against me, it was falling on top of me. I had to be creative to get out alive. I just barely got out with my life, a pension, and a one way ticket to wherever I wanted to go." He smiled. "I chose Miami."

"So this guy isn't really your cousin like people are saying." Erik jerked a thumb at Michael. "I didn't remember you having a cousin other than Elise."

Glancing at Michael, Sam clasped his hands in front of himself and leaned on his elbows. "He's... well, Erik, I know we were good friends a long time ago and we covered up a lot of things for each other... I'm going to ask you to keep this one under your hat."

Erik's eyebrow went up. "Must be serious. Hang on a second." He got up, checked the door to the cells to make sure it was closed, and returned to his seat.

"It's very serious. And I'm thinking that maybe you can help us with this job." Sam told him who Michael and Fiona really were and their purpose for being in Grunewald.

When Sam finished, Erik stared at him. He looked at Michael and Fiona. "And you think you're really going to be able to find something on MiFarm?"

"We've already found some inconsistencies in their financials," Michael replied. "We need to talk to a few people in town about their farm sales, but we don't want to raise any eyebrows."

"Naturally. Well, whatever you need, let me know."

"We might need some permits to carry, or you turn a blind eye," Michael said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Erik laughed. "You people don't mess around do you. I'd rather that it didn't come down to shooting somebody."

"So would we, but sometimes you never know what might happen," Fiona informed him. "For all we know, something might have to go boom."

"She's an explosives expert," Sam told his friend. "But that would be the very last resort, right, Fi?"

"Of course." She wandered over to the door separating them from the cells and looked through the glass. "No matter what, we won't hurt an innocent bystander if we can at all help it. The not so innocent ones, though, we can't guarantee."

Erik studied her. For such a beautiful woman, she had an air about her that said she wasn't one to be crossed. He let out a breath. If these people could do anything to help their community, he would welcome them. "I'm still not sure what you intend to do here. I mean, the farms that were sold are done deals."

"Not if they were bought through fraudulent means," Michael said. "That's what we're trying to figure out. If we find evidence, we can use that against them."

"We want to talk to some of the people who've sold to MiFarm and look at the paperwork," Sam added. "Tonight we were just trying to see what came out of people when they were a little more... relaxed."

"Any luck?"

Michael shook his head. "Not really. The second MiFarm came up, it was a bunch of expletives and not much else."

"There's a lot of hostility in this town over what happened, but people are afraid to say anything unless they're liquored up." Erik said, "I'm sure I can get you some people who'll talk, and you don't even need to get a few drinks in them. The ones who were happy to sell, they've already gone. A few others were enticed into retirement, and even though they're not entirely happy about it, they've learned to be content. It's the ones who had incidents happen that threatened their farms and their families... those are the people you want to talk to. But make sure you keep it quiet."

"Of course. Stealth is our specialty," Fiona said in an almost bored tone. "We should get out of here, get some rest, and start tomorrow."

"How about we meet for breakfast at Jim's Place? It's not as busy as the Bavarian. When I come, I'll bring you a list of the people who would be best to talk to, and whatever else I can get my hands on that might help."

"That would be great, Erik. Thanks!" Sam got up and Michael and Fiona joined him.

"It's great to see you, Sam. Too bad it had to be this way."

"I agree, Erik. I've been away for too long." He waved as the three walked out of the station. "See you tomorrow!"

The next morning, the four kids showed up on time and went to work. Sam stood on the back porch with his coffee steaming, watching them march into the barn under the bright light illuminating the yard. Lights went on in the barn, and a few minutes later the milking machine started up and he heard the familiar sounds. It was cool outside, but not so much that he needed a jacket. Inside the milking parlor it would no doubt be warmer once things got moving. He stepped down from the porch and went through the barn where the cows munched their feed and two of the kids mucked out the stalls.

"Morning, Stacie, Dale."

"Morning, Mr. Axe." Stacie smiled at him as she straightened from tossing some manure into a wheelbarrow. "Thanks for letting us work here. Dale and I don't get any practice at home."

"You don't have a farm?"

Stacie's smile disappeared. "No. Our dad sold to MiFarm after the accident."

"Accident?"

"Or dad was coming home one night from a trip to Frankenmuth with Mom, and a drunk driver hit them head on." She paused, swallowed, and continued when she saw that Sam was very interested in what she had to say. "Mom was seriously hurt, and the doctors aren't sure if she'll ever be the same. Her mind's not good. Dad's leg got messed up, but he's healing. He just... those men came by not long after and they convinced him that he was better off selling."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Stacie." He made a mental note to get her address and visit her parents. "So you don't think he really wanted to sell?"

"No, but things had been happening on the farm, and then this accident, and I think that was the last straw."

"That seems to be a recurring theme around here," Sam said in a thoughtful tone. "People keep saying things happened. I heard that last night talking to a few people at..." He cut himself off, as if in embarrassment.

Stacie and Dale just looked at each other and smiled. Dale said, "It's okay, Mr. Axe. Everybody who's of age goes to the Garten."

"Why are you so interested in what's going on around here? From what I hear, you left over thirty years ago and haven't been back since," Stacie asked as she hefted another scoop.

"My cousin wrote and told me about what was happening, that MiFarm was breathing down their necks. I know how much this place means to Elise and her folks, so I decided to come and see what I could do to help her keep the place."

Dale snorted. "Good luck with that. It's like trying to lay down in the path of a steamroller. It'll flatten you and won't even slow down." He went back to work feeding the cows.

"Mr. Axe, don't listen to my brother. I'm not ready to give up yet."

"Good. Maybe you won't have to. Would it be okay if I and my friends stopped in and talked to your parents about their farm?"

A smile curved Stacie's mouth. "Get ready for an earful, Mr. Axe. My dad is still really upset about everything." She gave him the address, he thanked her, and she went back to work.

He returned to the house and found Michael and Fiona were dressed and ready to go to the diner to meet Erik. Elise stood at the stove making breakfast for herself, and when she heard the door, she looked toward him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to make you something? It's no trouble, really!"

"No, we've got business in town," Sam replied. "Thanks, Elise. Are you going back to Bay City today to see Uncle Nick?"

"No. Daddy wants me to stay here and watch the farm." Her brow wrinkled. "He doesn't know about Matthew running off, but he's afraid that someone will just come in and take it over while he's gone. He can't lose this place, Sam." She blinked. "It'll kill him for sure."

"Don't worry, Elise. We'll get this worked out," Michael assured her as he passed and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "MiFarm will soon be no threat to anyone if we keep finding out more like what we already have."

"There's something shady going on," Fiona added. "We're going to find out what it is, and then MiFarm will go down. If things work out the way we'd like, they'll even be forced to give back the property they took."

"Wow. I don't know how you're going to do that, but I know a lot of people who will be happy if you do!"

The breakfast meeting with Erik was productive. He gave them a list of all the farmers that he knew who would be willing to talk about the transactions and what led up to them. Included on the list was Stacie and Dale's father.

"You know, Sam, I investigated that accident. I tested that drunk driver, and he wasn't anywhere near the legal limit. There was no reason for him to go over the line like he did."

"Can you tell us who he is," Sam asked.

"He wasn't a local. We couldn't charge him with impaired driving, so he just went on his way with a citation for inattentive driving. I got an address but I don't know if it's any good." He took a sip of his coffee. "I can't help shaking the suspicion that he was hired to hit the Davidsons' car and kill them or put them out of commission enough that Mr. Davidson would sell."

"So he was another holdout." Michael observed.

"Yeah. Here's some more info for you." He pushed a file folder across the table to Michael. "Inside is something I shouldn't be giving you, but... these are police reports on everything that's been going on. Things that by themselves might seem like accidents or flukes, but add them all up, and it's pretty obvious."

Michael glanced at the papers. "No one has been killed?"

"Yet." Erik sighed and he kept his eyes locked on Sam's friend. "I think it's just a matter of time. Every day I go into work I wonder if today's the day that something happens to my dad or Nick and Betty, or Elise."

Sam couldn't help but notice the little hitch in Erik's voice at the sound of his cousin's name. He knew his friend always had a soft spot for Elise, but she never seemed to look his way. He also realized that Erik never married. He mentally shook those thoughts out of his head and concentrated on the conversation.

"We'll take a look at every one of these incidents," Michael assured him. "We just need to make sure that people don't know."

"That's tough in a small town, Michael. People talk."

"Then maybe Sam needs to distance himself from us." Fiona glanced at him and he gave her a puzzled look. "If you play the part of concerned nephew working the farm while Uncle Nick recovers, people won't suspect anything from you. Maybe you can even serve as a distraction."

"But you're outsiders, Fi. If you two start poking around..."

"We'll be reporters looking for a story on a dying farm town. I just happen to be related to you." Michael finished with a smile. "Barely."

Sam didn't like being out of the action. On the other hand, even with the kids assisting, Elise couldn't run the farm alone. He sighed and his shoulders sagged. "I really don't like it, but if this is the way you think we should play the scenario... fine. We'll do it." He dug into his pants pocket and pulled out his keys. "You two better take the Caddy while we're here. I know people have already seen me driving it, but that's okay. I'll make up some story to explain it."

"What will you drive," Fiona asked.

"I've got a buddy trying to unload an old pickup. I'm sure he'd let you have it for cheap," Erik suggested with a smile. "It might cost you a few bucks in auto parts, but it's not like it's a total loss if..."

"If I become a target. Yeah, not lovin' that idea, but you've got a point." Sam finished his coffee. "Okay, let's go take a look at this truck. You two, be careful."

"We will, Sam. Don't worry." Michael smiled at Sam as he got up, dropped some cash on the table, and left with Erik.

"I suppose this means we don't have to dress like bumpkins anymore," Fiona said with a hopeful smile. "If we're going to be reporters, we need to look a little better. Don't you think?"

"No, we're going to stay dressed the way we are, otherwise we'll put a barrier between us and them and they won't talk." Michael picked up the file and slipped it into a portfolio he brought along to take notes. "Let's check out this list and start meeting with these people."

It was only a matter of time before a MiFarm representative showed up again at the Fraser farm. Sam was working on the engine of the truck he purchased that morning, up to his elbows in grease. He thanked God that the sun was shining, or he would have been chilled having to roll up his sleeves to the elbow. The wind held a slight bite as it rattled the dry leaves that desperately clung to the trees, resisting the inevitable. Just like the Johansens and the Frasers. But if Mike and Fi could do anything, that was going to change.

He heard gravel crunching and looked up to see a black Town Car stop not far away. Sam finished tightening a bolt and let the driver approach him. No way was he going to meet this guy on his terms.

"Mr. Axe. Mr. Sam Axe?"

"Yeah, that's me." Sam straightened and stared down at the shorter, older man dressed in a designer suit. "What do you want?"

"My name is Charles Montgomery. I represent MiFarm Corporation." He stuck out his hand, saw the grease on Sam's, and promptly retracted it. Judging by the look on Sam's face, he wasn't about to get a friendly hello anyway.

"We're not interested. Take a hike." He turned back to the truck.

Montgomery smiled slightly. "Mr. Axe, I understand your milk production is down by nearly fifty percent in just the past few days. A continued trend like that could affect your profitability."

Sam wasn't sure how he knew that, but he wasn't going to ask and show any concern. "Only temporarily. If you knew anything about cows, you'd know that." He wiped his hands and arms with an old towel. "Look, I know how you've been strong-arming people around here into selling. We're not interested. So I'm asking you kindly to get off our property now before I have to... influence you... to get off."

The older man scoffed. "Is that a threat?"

Sam shrugged. "It's no different than what you've been doing to these people, Mr. Montgomery."

"You have no proof of wrongdoing, Mr. Axe. All these farms were purchased legitimately."

"Yeah. You keep telling yourself that so you can sleep at night." Sam smirked. "You have yourself a good day, sir."

Montgomery's eyes closed down as he glared at Sam. "I'll be back. Just wait, things'll get worse before they get better, Mr. Axe. That's just the way things work."

Sam watched Montgomery walk to his car and get in. Well, he'd done it, he kicked the hornet's nest. Now all he had to do was wait for the retribution to begin.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Armed with the list and the Cadillac's GPS system, Michael and Fiona started with the first name. The farmer's wife was home but hid behind the door and told them her husband was down at the Garten. Fiona circled his name. They would get to him later. Two more homes with people too scared to talk, and they were beginning to think that maybe people weren't as willing to open up as they thought. Next on the list was the Dietrich home. The two pulled up to the curb in front of a well-kept white house dressed up for autumn with dried corn stalks, pumpkins, and colorful gourds on the porch. Noises came from the open garage, and Michael walked up the driveway to approach the man working inside. Fiona knocked on the front door, and when Mrs. Dietrich answered, she armed herself with a friendly smile.

"Hello," Mrs. Dietrich smiled at Fiona. "You're one of those Fraser relatives, aren't you?"

Fiona smiled and went along with it. "Yes, I'm Fiona Fraser. My husband Michael just went back to see what your husband is up to."

"He's doing some woodworking. After we bought this place, he decided it needed some fancy hand carved doodads and spindles and such." She shook her head and flapped a hand. "It keeps him busy, so what can I say?" She let out a little laugh and Fiona joined her. "Would you like to come in? It's kind of chilly to be yakking with you on the other side of the screen." She opened the door, to Fiona's surprise, and ushered her inside.

Mrs. Amy Dietrich was a talker, and Fiona found herself led to the cozy little kitchen where a pot of coffee waited, its richness mingled with the spicy aroma of pumpkin and baking apples. Fiona stopped in the doorway and took in the scent.

Amy smiled at her appreciation. "I love that about fall, don't you?"

"I have to be honest, I've never experienced anything quite like it. In Florida, we don't have fall."

Amy nodded. "I hear you're from Miami."

"Really? Who said that?"

"I guess somebody saw that little dealer name thingy on your car and just put two and two together." Amy smiled. "The pumpkin pie's been out for awhile. Would you like a slice with some coffee?"

Fiona nodded. "If it tastes as good as it smells, I can hardly wait." The first bite was like a little bit of heaven. "Have you ever thought about opening a bakery? This is really good!"

"Thank you, but no. We didn't get that much from the sale..." She suddenly clammed up and her face flushed.

It didn't escape Fiona's attention. "You sold your dairy farm. Sam, our cousin, well, Michael's cousin, hired Stacie and Dale and they told him a little about it."

"Yes, leaving the farm hurt them, I know. But we really didn't have much choice."

"Everyone has a choice. If the farm wasn't for sale, it wasn't for sale." Fiona set down her fork and stared at Amy. "Unless maybe you're living in a third world country and someone has a gun to your head, but in that case you don't generally get money for your land. You get your life."

Amy nodded, puzzled at the things this strange woman said. She sat across from her at the table and curled her hands around a cup of coffee. "We were afraid it would come down to guns." She set down her cup, put her fingers up to her mouth, and shook her head vigorously. "No, I've said too much. Dale, my husband, says we shouldn't talk about it."

"What on earth did MiFarm do to make you so afraid?"

Amy looked around as if she expected one of the company's agents to come popping out of the woodwork at any moment. She licked her lips, locked onto Fiona's sympathetic eyes, and spoke again. "You'll have to talk to Dale about that, because he knows more than me. I can't remember, you see. He tells me we were in an accident, but I don't remember any of that. I don't remember a lot these days. Old age, you know." The woman looked like she was hardly forty five. She gave Fiona a sad smile. "But I can cook, and I can bake. I never lost that, so I suppose that's something to be thankful for." She chattered on with Fiona, not giving any useful information, but Fiona saw for herself the lasting damage caused by the accident, if it could be called that. It was sad how her life was forever altered. Even if their plan worked and the Dietrich family regained their farm, Amy could never regain what memories she lost. It angered Fiona and steeled her resolve to find a way to restore what they could.

While Fiona became friendly with Amy, Michael approached Dale Dietrich Sr. cautiously. The man was holding a long, narrow piece of two by two in his hands and was fitting it into a lathe as he neared. Out of the corner of his eye, Dale saw him and straightened.

"Hi. I'm Michael... Fraser." He held out a hand.

"Yeah, I heard you're a distant cousin of Elise's." Dale shook his hand and swung back around to set up the lathe. "So what are you and that wife of yours doing in town? Causing trouble down at the Garten, that's what I heard." He smiled slightly.

Michael mirrored the smile. "No, it was more like one of Sam's old... friends."

Dale threw his head back and laughed at the statement. "I heard you were kind of a strong silent type. Guess we can chalk you up to being a comedian too. Everybody knows Roger Mauer had it in for Sam Axe ever since that boy set foot on his Aunt Betty and Uncle Nick's property."

"Why?" Michael stood out of the line of where the wood chips would start flying when Dale turned on the machine. Dale squinted at him, plucked the safety glasses off the top of his head, and gave them to Michael. With an amused smile, he turned on the machine and stood back while it worked, staying close enough to make sure the blade cut the pattern correctly. Neither of them spoke until it was finished and Dale turned off the machine.

"That's a beauty. I'm making newell posts for the staircase. The old ones are nicked and need to be replaced. Good thing I bought myself a fixer upper so I have something to do." His face smiled, but behind his eyes, Michael saw how broken he was over selling his livelihood.

"Why'd you sell your farm?"

Dale looked into Michael's eyes and saw that he couldn't lie to this fellow. He wouldn't stand for it, and something in the depths of those blue eyes told him he cared. "We had no choice."

"Everybody's got a choice. Something must have happened."

"The accident happened, and my wife... six months ago I didn't think she was going to survive. I had doctor bills to pay, and my hands started leaving to work for MiFarm. That happened to a lot of people. The help just left because the pay was better and they got benefits we couldn't afford to give them." Dale sighed. "Before that the corporation threatened us, saying we had safety violations, sanitary issues, bogus claims every one of them. But that didn't stop them from sending the government out to look at every inch of our farm. When they sent the immigration people in saying that the Mexican guys we hired were illegals... that was almost the end. The accident tipped us over the edge."

"My wife and I, we're doing some investigating on this company. We think that the people who were forced to sell can help us find something on them. We can use that to..."

"No, it's too late, mister. MiFarm owns our property and our stock. They've already mixed our herd with others, transferring bulls around to mix up the gene pool. Sounds like a good thing, but it just makes it harder for anyone to defeat them and try to give back what they took." He nodded. "I appreciate you trying, though."

"Let's just say that we can do this, get MiFarm to roll over and give everyone everything back. What would you do?" As Michael asked the question, he saw the answer in the man's eyes. He smiled. "You'd take it back in a heartbeat, and you'd work just as hard as you did before."

"I can't. My leg is messed up from the accident."

"If you had something to fight for, I think you'd do what you could with or without that injury." Michael took a step forward and handed Dale the safety glasses. "Don't give up. If there's anything you can tell us about MiFarm, you let me know."

"Not a problem, I know you're staying out at Betty and Nick's place." Dale gave him a warmer smile. "Maybe we'll stop by sometime with one of those pumpkin pies my wife is famous for." He winked.

"That would be great. Thanks, Dale."

"Thank you, Michael, for having the courage... or the stupidity... to try to take on the system. Good luck."

"If you know of anyone who would be willing to talk about their experiences..."

"I'll send them your way." Dale nodded. "You have a good day. Enjoy the fall weather. I hear they don't have anything like this in Miami."

Michael grimaced. "They said people talked in this town. Just wish they'd talk about MiFarm instead of us."

"Don't worry. If people stop being scared, they'll come forward."

Michael and Fiona met at the car. "Well, Fi?"

"I didn't get much." She glanced up the driveway and saw Dale sanding the post with a tender hand. Amy was inside somewhere. "That poor woman has had so much of her past ripped away from her." She turned to Michael with a sad look. "And she can't ever get it back. We have to do something for these people."

"We're trying, Fi. We just need to find someone who can give us more information, something from inside the company would be a big boost to our investigation."

"They made an offer and we told them no, but they wouldn't stop pestering us. They said everyone was selling and then we would be all alone. With water rights on the property next to ours, we could lose access to the river because they said they owned the river. The man talked like he would dam it up and redirect it."

"Our barn burned down, and the fire inspector said it was electrical, but I know that can't be so. I just had the electrical system reworked two years earlier so I could put in a new milking machine. We lost everything, Mr. Fraser. Not just the barn and the machines, but half the herd. We were done anyway, so we took the deal."

These were some of the things he and Fiona heard as they interviewed the other farmers who would talk to them. A clear pattern emerged. But until they could come up with some hard evidence, all they had were statements. The two returned to the farm in time for dinner. Elise was busy preparing the meal and Sam was out in the barn with the kids finishing up the milking. He heard the Cadillac engine turn off and came out to meet them.

"Hey, Mikey, Fi. How'd things go with the farmers?"

"Most of them were willing to talk. Some of them are too scared, but after hearing what the others said about their neighbors who wouldn't talk, it's pretty obvious why."

"Threats, intimidation, arson, attempted murder..." Fi sighed and took off her sunglasses, showing a spark of anger in her eyes. "It's criminal. We're going to find something on them, I'm sure of it. Something we can use to hang them."

"I had a visit from some guy named Montgomery. He made some veiled threats, but I made it clear we weren't budging. Don't think he liked that." He smirked. "I think he's close to making a move for this farm."

"We'll just have to be on our guard." Michael looked around. The Dietrich kids emerged from the barn, waved at him, and headed for Dale Jr.'s car. "How are things working out with the kids?"

"They're great, Mike. The other two just left before you showed up. Those four working together are getting the herd done in record time. Granted, we only have about fifty-five percent of the herd producing, but that's okay. We're still making money." He started for the house and Michael and Fiona followed. "And the cows that refused to get up that first day are fine. The vet took care of them and they're just as good as can be."

"That's great." Michael glanced at Sam as they stepped up on the porch. "You know, I never, ever would have dreamed I'd be hearing you talk about cows and milk production and stuff like that."

Sam laughed and opened the screen to let him and Fiona inside. "You and me both, brother. It's a different world here, that's for sure." He stepped inside behind them and found Elise setting dishes on the table.

"Everything's ready. Wash up and sit down while it's hot," she said with a broad smile. When they were all seated, she announced, "Daddy is coming home from the hospital tomorrow. Just in time for the festival." Her smile turned into a grin. "He always loved the festival and he was afraid he was going to miss it this year."

"It must be pretty special." Michael said.

"To outsiders it might seem pretty hokey," she answered, then blushed and dropped her chin. "No offense, Michael. I suppose you'll just have to see it for yourselves."

"That we will, because we're not done investigating this yet."

As they ate, he and Fiona told Sam and Elise what they learned from the other farmers. Elise didn't seem surprised. Sam held his tongue, but behind his fixed expression Michael could read him as plain as day. It wasn't unlike what he and Fiona felt for the people whose lives had been destroyed or damaged by the corporation. Sam was determined that they weren't leaving until the situation reached a satisfying conclusion.

"Don't worry, Sam. We'll get these guys."

"I know, Mike. Right now I feel like we're just waiting for them to make another move. I really hate waiting." Sam dropped his fork on his plate, the agitation inside preventing him from eating another bite. "You know what, I'm not going tomorrow. You can all go to the festival and I'll stay here."

"Sammy! You haven't been in years! No, I'll stay with..."

"No." Sam turned to her and spoke forcefully. "You're going with Aunt Betty and Uncle Nick. If something happens, I don't want any of you to be here."

"If something happens... what are you saying?" Elise's brow furrowed.

Sam stared at his plate for a moment, then looked up at her. "Montgomery made it quite clear today, and now I've got this awful feeling that they're going to try something while everyone's at the festival. I'll stay, and I'll be armed. Nobody is getting on this land if I have anything to say about it."

"We should stay too," Fiona said.

"No. You've been talking to people, and word will get around. Everyone will want to see what you're up to, and showing yourselves at the festival is a good thing," Sam said. "They'll see you're interested in the community, not just there to do a story. So go, have fun, and forget about everything else." The corner of his mouth tipped up into a smile. "Besides, it may be hokey, but the fall festival is just plain, simple fun. I think you two need a dose of that."

Michael and Fiona glanced at each other. "Really?" Michael asked, "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. I just think you'd get a kick out of it. Go, and I'll stay here."

Michael didn't like it, and the next morning after the cows were all taken care of and breakfast was on the table, he attempted to get Sam to go with them. But his friend would not be swayed.

"Mike, I know what I'm doing. Now is not the time to leave the farm unattended. Elise went to pick up her folks, and they'll be back by ten or so. The festival starts around eleven."

With a sigh of defeat, Michael nodded.

"Bring me back a pumpkin turnover and I'll be happy." He smiled, reassuring them that this was the best plan.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Elise returned about the time Sam predicted. She parked her car next to the Cadillac, and her father gave the fine vehicle a good once-over after getting out of the car. The screen door slammed and the three turned to find Sam coming toward them with a welcoming smile.

A sound escaped Aunt Betty when she saw him and she blinked rapidly. "Samuel. Nicky, look who's here!"

"Honey, Elise told us Sam was here."

Her joy at seeing her nephew was all that mattered to Betty. She moved forward with open arms, and Sam responded by opening his and taking her into a tight embrace when they met. She planted kisses on his cheek and rocked him back and forth with such excitement, Sam thought he might lose his footing.

"Oh Samuel, look at you! I thought we'd never see you again!" Her eyes leaked onto his shirtsleeve, but he didn't mind. "You shouldn't be out here without a coat! It's cold! And you, coming from Miami, I would think you'd be freezing!" She stepped out of his grip and looked him up and down. With her hand she ruffled his hair and pinched his dimpled cheek.

"I'm fine, Auntie. Really, I've had a few days to get used to this weather." He leaned closer and spoke out of the side of his mouth. "I think my friends Mike and Fi are still acclimating."

Betty laughed and her brown eyes sparkled. "Are they going to the festival with us?"

"They are." Sam nodded, straightened, and then sobered. "But I'm staying here. I'd love to go, but someone has to watch the place."

"It's gotten that bad," Uncle Nick said with haunted eyes and a worried expression.

"Yes sir, it has."

Betty turned to him with a pinched look on her fact. "Maybe it's time, Nick. You can't work..."

"No." Nick halted his wife's plea with a hand. "I won't let them bully me into leaving. I will sell on my own terms." Almost a foot shorter than Sam, Nick looked up at him. "I know Sam agrees with me, or he wouldn't be here. He and his friends wouldn't be trying to help us if they thought we should just roll over and let MiFarm win." He asked Sam, "Am I right?"

"Yes sir, you're right." Sam stepped closer and accepted a welcome hug from his uncle. "Come on in the house and meet Mike and Fi."

After his aunt and uncle had a chance to sit and catch up with Sam, it was late afternoon. Elise offered to make dinner, but Nick insisted on taking everyone out to the festival. "Sam, you should come along, just to get something to eat if nothing else."

"Yeah, I would, but I think it's better if I stay here. Elise left some stuff in the fridge from last night, and it was pretty good then, so it's not like I'm stuck with some crap." He waved a hand. "Go on, you all have a good time. Mike and Fi need to mingle more with the locals if we want them to trust us." Nick looked at him with a skeptical stare, but Sam gave him a reassuring smile. "Really, it'll be fine."

"Okay. I really wanted to spend more time with you, Sam. It's been so long, since before your mom died."

"Yeah." Sam ducked his head. "I guess in that respect I was too much like my old man." He looked back up at him and said, "I'll try not to make that a habit in the future."

"And maybe after this is all over and we get some more help on the farm, we can take a vacation down Miami way," Nick responded with a smile.

"That would be great."

Michael glanced at his watch and peered out the window. The sun was going down. "We should probably get moving."

"But Mike, it doesn't get really fun until later when people have had a few too many," Sam joked.

"Hopefully we'll be back before that happens. We should take separate cars, just in case," he advised.

"And I've got the truck if I need it. So go on, have fun!"

Sam stood in the yard and watched the two vehicles pull out, stop at the end of the drive, and turn onto the road. The sun bathed the dried corn stalks across the road in orange gold light. A flock of geese flew overhead honking a reminder that winter was on its way. Sam rocked on his heels, his hands tucked into his pockets, and a slow sigh escaped him. He turned to the barn and checked the cows. The kids were doing a fabulous job taking care of them, even on a Saturday. He inspected the milking parlor and found everything in its place and the floor spotless. Yeah, hiring those kids was a brilliant idea. But if we're successful and the parents get their farms back, we're going to lose them. As nice as it's been to come 'home', I wouldn't want to do this for a living. I'm not farmer material.

He turned and moved toward the door he used to enter the barn. To the left was a small storage area. Sam poked his head inside and found it neat and orderly as usual. The boots Fiona used that first day sat in their usual spot on a rubber mat. When she found them, he wanted to tell her not to use them even if they happened to be her size. But they'd been sitting idle for how many years now. Someone should get some use out of them. If he closed his eyes, Sam would see a picture of his mother in them, dressed in jeans and a warm jacket as she did the chores. She took to dairy farming like it was in her blood. It was his dad who had the roaming gene, and Sam got it from him.

He shook his head to get the memories out of his head. He was hungry, so he went back to the house to heat up the leftovers Elise tucked away in the refrigerator. He ate alone, in silence, listening to the creaks and cracks the house made. It was an old house, over a century and a half old. It was bound to make some noise. The wind blew a bare branch across the glass up in the window in his bedroom, and Sam noted that it must have been doing it for the past few years. A six inch curved scratch told of its path across the pane.

When the sun went down and it was dark, with nothing else to do, Sam turned on the television and found an old movie to watch. He made some popcorn, settled down in the soft couch, and mindlessly munched on the kernels while the black and white images flickered in the dark room. He hoped that Mike and Fi were having a better time than he was. If Elsa were there, it wouldn't have been so bad. It's not that he was scared. He was just lonely for her.

"It's Elsa, get to it."

"Hey baby, it's me, Sammy. I'm sure you're busy, but I just wanted to let you know that I miss you. And I love you. Some day we'll have to come up here to Michigan, and I can show you where I came from. I know we haven't really gotten into much about myself, and, well... never mind. I'll see you when you get home. Maybe we can touch base by phone before then. Love you."

He hung up, tossed his cell phone onto the coffee table, and went back to watching the movie. It was a romantic comedy, and the actress kind of reminded him of Elsa. When he put himself in place of the male lead, it made watching the show a little more pleasurable.

Michael and Fiona parked next to Elise's car. They got out and looked around at all the people walking from the church parking lot to the town square where all the festivities took place. Along the way, with Betty and Nick's help, they met a lot more people in one night than they'd met in two days. Some were happy to see them and asked questions about how things were going, if they would ever see their land again. Word traveled well in the small town. Fiona collected names and contact information for people who wanted to talk about their experiences if it would help the investigation.

"I really expected that people would still be a little wary of us," Michael said as he and Fiona stood in line for some food.

"Me too. Sam's aunt and uncle probably helped, being with them." She looked around at all the people having a good time. On one end of the square, a small carnival was set up with a ferris wheel and other rides. Food booths offered everything from hamburgers and bratwurst to pumpkin pot pies. The scent of roasting corn drifted on the slight breeze. It was a little chilly, so Fiona shrugged deeper into her jacket.

Michael saw the move and put his arm around her. "You okay?"

"Fine. I just have to not think about Miami, and I'll be warm enough."

Michael laughed. "I know how you feel." As the two conversed and analyzed the crowd, his eyes swept the festival goers. "You know who I haven't seen? Sam's enemy, Roger. Or any of his friends."

"I know. I've been keeping an eye out for them. Gatherings like this tend to bring out the troublemakers for some reason," Fiona said. "Maybe they're all parked at a table in the beer tent."

"Maybe. We'll get this to eat and casually stroll over there."

Nick turned to look at Michael. "Oh, you have to try the local brews while you're here, if you haven't already. Some of these microbrews could put the Frankenmuth brewery to shame!" He grinned.

"Now, Nicky, you know the doctor told you that you have to be careful how much you drink." Betty scolded him.

"Doesn't mean I can't have one... or two." Nick winked at Michael and Fiona, and the action reminded them of Sam.

"Mr. Fraser..."

"Nick. Call me Nick, son."

A small smile crossed Michael's lips. "Nick, how long did Sam live here with you?"

"He and Jeannie, his mom, lived here, oh, from the time he was... oh about eleven, I think. Wasn't it, dear?"

Betty nodded. "Yes, Samuel was eleven when he and Jean showed up. She'd just divorced his dad and had nowhere to go, so they came here." She smiled. "This was where Jean felt at peace, and she never wanted to leave." A sigh escaped her and she shrugged. "But Samuel had too much of his father in him. He worked hard and well, but as soon as he got that scholarship, he was gone. We only saw him when he graduated, for a few days before he had to go to his first ship assignment. After that, his visits were scattered here and there for no longer than a week."

"It's a shame. His momma loved the farm life, but he wanted to be anywhere but here." Nick shook his head. "I reckon that's why he didn't come back after he retired from the Navy. Beaten down as he was, he should have come home to family."

"I think Sam was probably too ashamed to come home," Fiona said. "It was easier to get lost in the booze and the women than come home and admit to the ones he loved that he'd screwed up."

"You're probably right, Fiona." Betty's eyes twinkled with a complement on her lips. "You're very perceptive. You must have known Samuel a long time."

Fiona chuckled. "Not as long as you'd think. The first time we met, he ruined a very lucrative deal for me, so when we reunited through Michael, well, he's lucky I wasn't armed at the time."

"Fi..." Michael warned her with a low tone.

She smiled up at Michael. "I've long since changed my mind about him." She turned back to Betty and Nick. "He's been a very good friend. I think you should both know that, and he's an honorable man. You all did a fine job of raising him."

"Well, thank you, Fiona. That means a lot to us." Nick said and turned back to the front of the line. They were next to order.

"Hey, where'd Elise go," Michael asked.

"She probably ran into some friends," Betty replied as she and Nick stepped aside to let them order. "Go ahead, it's our treat."

"Thank you."

After everyone had their food, they searched in vain for an empty picnic table and in the end wound up walking and eating. Michael caught sight of Elise with Sam's friend Erik. They stood at the fringe of the beer tent. It looked like Erik was off duty, since he wore civilian clothes and no utility belt. He held a plastic cup in his hand as he talked with her, and she also held one. Michael remembered that Elise said she didn't drink. But as they neared her, he could see in the waning light that both of them were drinking root beer.

Erik caught Michael's eye and waved. "Hey, Michael. Where's Sam?"

"He stayed home." Michael stopped in front of the couple and spoke softer. "He didn't want to leave the place alone, but he insisted we go to the festival."

"Wise choice. I've been trying to keep an eye out for the rowdies, but I haven't seen them yet. They usually park themselves in the beer tent starting late afternoon and don't leave until the festival shuts down." He glanced inside the well lit tent. "They're not here."

"You think they're responsible for all the things going on around here?"

"I've had my suspicions, but no evidence." Erik scanned the people walking around outside the tent. "You know how I told you all that Roger was doing quite well with his dad's farm?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, yesterday I talked to the banker about some business, and he let it slip that the Mauers' farm wasn't doing as great as everybody thought. They have a note on it, and lately Roger's been coming in regular to make payments on it. Lord knows where he's getting the money, because he sure doesn't have a part time job anywhere. Days he's working his butt off on the farm."

"If he's working as muscle for MiFarm, they probably pay him quite well," Michael said. He'd moved to stand next to Erik, close enough to talk without being heard.

"Yeah. That was my thought too, Mike. Roger and his friends are not a group you want to mess with. Well, you already know that. If Sam's out there at the farm alone..."

"Sam can take care of himself. He'll be fine."

"I sure hope you're right."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Sam's cell phone rang. For one second he hoped that maybe it was Elsa, but when he looked at the screen, he saw it was Michael. "Yeah, Mikey, what's up?"

"Not much, Sam. Just checking in to see how things are going."

"Oh, I'm having a great time watching this old movie. Good thing you called during a commercial break." Sam replied with a sarcastic tone. "Seriously, I hope you guys are having a better time than I am."

"We can be there in..."

"Oh, no! You just enjoy yourselves." In the background, he heard music. "Grab Fi and go dancing. Don't mind me."

"Sam... be careful."

"Oh yeah, I might strain a thumb on the remote." He chuckled.

"No, seriously, Fi, Erik and I have been looking for Roger and his friends and they aren't here. That's not normal, according to Erik."

"Oh. You think..."

"Yeah."

Sam let out a breath. "I'll be careful, Mike. Don't worry. Just go do your part and enjoy the festival, okay?"

"Okay, Sam. We'll be back around ten."

"Put the watch away, Mike. You need to just relax." He glanced at the TV. "Oh, gotta go, the movie's back on. Go! Dance with Fi!" He closed the connection and dropped the phone on the coffee table where he'd placed it before, and he put his feet up to enjoy the rest of the movie. Once he got into it, it really wasn't that bad.

"Well?" Fiona stared at him. "Are we going back to the farm?"

"No, Sam wants us to stay here and... and dance."

Fiona's face lit up like a firework. "That sounds like fun!" She grabbed his empty food tray and tossed it into the garbage with her own, then grasped his hand and turned him toward the temporary wood floor set up in front of the round gazebo in the center of the square.

"That does sound like fun." Elise looked up at Erik with an innocent glint in her eyes. "Erik, would you like to dance?"

"Me? You wanna dance with me?" He looked stricken with fear by her invitation.

Fiona twisted in Michael's grip around her waist and elbowed Erik in the ribs.

"I haven't danced in years, so I might step on your toes..." She spoke with a shy look up at him.

"Well then, we might both wind up with bruised toes, but I'd be willing to give it a shot if you are."

Elise's face brightened with a sweet grin. "Alrighty, then! Let's dance!"

Erik tossed his empty cup and dared to slip his arm around her shoulders.

On their way to the dance floor, Michael saw Roger and a small cluster of his friends. The four men perched their butts on a picnic table near the floor and made snide comments to some of the dancers. Roger had a beer in his hand. He caught Michael's gaze and got to his feet, and he met Michael and Fiona at the edge.

"Surprised to see you two without Sam. Where is he?"

"None of your concern, Roger," Michael replied as he glared at him.

"I suppose he couldn't get a date so he stayed home." Roger grinned. "Kind of like senior year, when he invited Carol to the festival and she turned him down. He stayed home and cried into his pillow all night, I'll bet." Roger laughed. "You know why she turned him down?"

"I wouldn't have a clue."

Roger stepped closer and puffed up his girth. "Because she was with me. We had a great time, too."

"Yeah, I see how well that turned out. She married someone else."

Roger glared at Michael and took a long drag on his beer. "If you see Sammy tonight... nah, never mind." Roger grinned. "I've got more important things to waste my words on. Later." He returned to the picnic table, said something to his friends, and they laughed.

"Some people never grow up," Fiona muttered.

"Don't mind him, Fiona. Roger Mauer has always been a jerk. He always will be. End of story." Elise remarked, and she gave out a little whoop as Erik pulled her toward the dance floor.

Erik twirled Elise on the dance floor and spoke over his shoulder. "Come on, you two, you came here to have fun! I've got men on the streets watching out for Roger and his friends' antics. Nothing to worry about."

"What about them causing trouble outside the festival grounds," Michael asked as he took Fiona in hand and followed him to the floor. "What if they go out to the farm?"

"I requested a deputy to patrol that part of the county. If anything happens, he'll be there in a few minutes."

Michael shook his head. Erik really had no clue how quickly things could turn. He'd been in law enforcement in a small town for too long. While Michael danced with Fiona he listened to the music and kept his steps in time with it, but part of his mind worried about Sam. Hopefully Roger and his gang would just sit around and get too drunk to do anything, and if they did, in their inebriated state, Sam could easily handle them. As much as Erik hated it, no matter how it went down, Michael couldn't see Sam getting away safely without discharging a few rounds. Then Roger wouldn't be a problem for anyone anymore.

A couple of numbers later, Michael realized that he'd let himself get too deep into the music and the sensations of holding Fiona's warm body in his arms. He looked around and didn't see Roger anywhere.

"Michael, what's wrong?" Fiona followed his gaze. "They're gone."

"Yeah." Michael turned out of her arms and strode to the edge of the floor while reaching for his phone. He hit the speed dial for Sam's phone. It rang and went to voicemail. He programmed the landline into his phone, so he tried it as well. With Fiona beside him and Elise and Erik bringing up the rear, he started walking to the car. The phone rang and rang, and Elise's sweet voice told him to leave a message. He closed the connection and let out a sound of frustration. "Fi, he's not picking up. We're leaving."

"I'll get my truck and follow you, Mike."

Michael stopped and turned to him. "You better come armed."

"You better believe it," Erik agreed. Then he gave Elise a short glance. "You stay here with your folks. We don't need you getting into the middle of a gunfight or anything."

"Be careful, Erik... all of you!" The wetness in her eyes glinted in the light from lanterns hanging over the dance floor. In different circumstances she would have looked sweet enough to kiss, but Erik had more pressing matters on his mind.

The movie was almost over and the combination of dinner and the popcorn must have had an effect on Sam. He was getting tired. No, it was just too much of this fresh country air and activity. I'm not used to this. He curled up on his side, his head on the arm rest, as the movie came to a close. A Three Stooges marathon was coming up next, but Sam didn't think he'd have the ability to keep his eyes open, not even for Larry, Curly, and Moe.

A sharp bang that sounded like it came from the back yard got Sam's attention. His eyes flew open and he sat up and slipped into his boots. He quickly laced them up, grabbed his gun from where it lay beside his phone, and he moved toward the kitchen. It was dark, making it easy for him to stop at the back door and look outside. Dark shadows hurried toward the barns. Sam remembered how the other farmers talked about such stealth tactics, and he recognized a hit. If he had anything to say about it, nobody was going to mess with the Fraser farm tonight.

Fiona kept one of her shotguns near the door. He picked it up in his right hand and cocked it. Then he opened the back door inch by inch to avoid the squeak. Through the screen he heard the voices, and it sounded like they were close by. There was no time to call for backup. In seconds they would be at the porch doing God only knew what. Sam moved outside and down the three steps to the flagstone path that led to the barn. His boots were silent on the material, so he had some surprise on his side. Someone broke into the barn, because he heard the cows mooing and making noises like someone was agitating them. He heard a low grumbling noise and turned his attention to the source.

Behind him, a large truck backed up the drive and stopped at the end of the lane. At the same time, the wide barn door slid aside and two of the shadowed men led two cows each to the plank that someone laid out for them to load onto the truck.

"Hey, what are you doing," Sam called out to them.

The light above kept the faces in shadow, but the two men stopped and stared at him.

Sam held up the shotgun and leveled it at them. "Put those cows back, now. Nobody's stealing our herd."

Like a move out of high school football, a large body came from the shadows and tackled Sam with such force, he felt like he couldn't breathe for a few moments. The assailant got in a good punch to his face, but Sam brought up the butt of the shotgun and slammed it into the attacker's nose. He fell back, clutching it. Sam scrambled to his feet, but he didn't have time to raise his weapon to fire on another attacker. Suddenly there were two, and one wrestled the gun away from him. Another grabbed him from behind, his arms squeezing Sam so hard, he saw stars. He gasped when Roger came forward and threw everything he had into a fist that connected with Sam's midsection, causing him to bend over. A knee came up and knocked him back upright.

Sam tasted blood in his mouth, but that didn't matter. He had to get free before Roger beat the life out of him. He raised a foot and pushed it into Roger's chest. It wasn't easy to move that much weight with his balance thrown off. He and the man who still held onto him went down to the ground. Sam rolled away the second the arms lost their grip. He got to his knees and recognized the face in the light. It was Tommy Tobenheim, an old friend of his. From what Sam learned, his family was one of the first to fall to MiFarm. Distracted for a moment, Roger kicked Sam in the side and he collapsed on the ground.

"Come on, boys, get him."

The pain was excruciating, but Sam used his training to rise above it. He got up on his hands, trying to stand, but there were men standing all around him, cutting off the light, his means of defense, and his chance to escape. Something pricked him in the neck. He tried to get away, but the damage had already been done. With the way his pulse was racing, it only took a few seconds for his muscles to relax and give up control. Sam collapsed in an involuntary heap on the ground.

"Get him up, tie him up real good, and let's finish this once and for all."

Sam saw the rage in Roger's eyes, even though he couldn't focus very well. Several pairs of hands picked him up and the sight bled into darkness as they carried him away.

Michael tried to call Sam again while Fiona drove. "He's not picking up, Fi. Something happened. I just know it."

She glanced at him a moment, then ground out between her teeth. "Well, try to control yourself until we get there."

He shook his head. "We never should have left him alone. That was crazy. We should have had Jesse come along on this one..."

"Second guessing isn't going to help, Michael." A large truck passed them in the other direction going way too fast and almost forced her off the road. "Did you see that? What the... who does he think he is?"

"Fi, we're here!"

She jammed on the brakes and turned the wheel sharply, and she almost missed the driveway and wound up in the culvert. The gravel popped under the speeding tires and she came to a jolting stop in the yard. A few men in black moved around the barns.

"What are they doing?"

"I don't know, Fi. Are you armed?" He looked at her.

She let out a short sound. "Do you really have to ask?" She held up her gun.

"Okay, let's do this on three. One..."

Fiona was out the door and running toward the barn. "Stop that!"

The figure got up and stared at her, then saw Michael. He took off running. The two followed him and ran through the space between the two barns. Neither of them suspected that others were waiting. Michael dropped to his knees like he'd run into a tree, but it was in fact a two by four that took him down. Fiona screamed as someone bigger and stronger grabbed her. She kicked at the one who took her legs and struggled to tie them together.

"She's not going to let you do that, you dummy." Roger came out with a hard right that smashed into Fiona's face and snapped her head back, causing her to lose consciousness. "There, that's better. Now get those two into the storeroom. We've got more work to do."

Michael heard the voices outside, with Roger's the loudest of all. He barked orders for them to hurry up and soak it. That could only mean one thing in Michael's mind. He forced his eyes open and his mind to clear. It was dark wherever they were. He was tied up.

"Fi? Fi, are you here?"

He was rewarded with a soft moan, and a few moments later she answered in a thick voice. "I'm here, Michael. Sam's right next to me."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know. I'm tied up, and I can't check on him." Her clothing rustled as she attempted to sit up. With one good gasp and a grunt, she made it. "Where are you?" She hitched herself backwards across the concrete floor and bumped into something warm. "Well, looks like I found you. Can you sit up?"

"Yes." He sat up and with some effort turned around so he was back to back with Fiona. Together they worked on untying the ropes that held them. "Lucky for us they didn't use zip ties."

"Oh, I have a solution for that in my bracelet," Fiona said with a bit of trouble in her tone. "Okay, I'm almost loose. How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm done." He reached down and untied his ankles. Fiona did the same. Then he jumped to his feet and felt for the door. "It's locked from the outside."

"Figures. Do you hear that? And smell that?"

"Crap. They're burning the barns." He patted the edge of the door at the frame, hoping for a weak spot that they could exploit. There was nothing. The barns were built as solidly as the house, apparently, and kept in good condition for so many years. That was one of the reasons the Fraser farm was so in demand.

"Michael, we've got to get out of here. I wish I had a little C4 or some det cord. We'd be out of here in no time."

"But we don't have any of that." Michael felt the wall. It was still cool, but the outside wall was warm. "They must have dropped accelerant all along the perimeter and set it on fire. We've got to break down the door." Michael stepped back, took a couple of running steps, and launched his legs at the door. It moved, but popped back into place. "Okay, if we both do that, we might get out. Come on, Fi. This time don't jump the gun. On three. One... two... three."

Together they kicked at the door and heard a crack. Two more times they tried and heard more cracking and splitting. On the fourth try, the door split in the center. Michael pushed at the pieces until they fully separated.

"How's Sam?" He was out of breath from the exertion and the lack of oxygen. As each minute passed, they had less of it.

Fiona knelt on the floor beside him, unbinding his hands and feet. "He's still out, Michael. I don't know what they did to him, but..."

"Don't worry, we'll get him out of here."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

While Michael and Fiona struggled to escape the conflagration, their captors fled the scene. Roger pealed southbound into the night towards home and passed a sheriff's deputy heading north on the county road. He stopped, radioed that he was about to pursue a vehicle, then turned into a driveway to change directions. It was then that he saw the flames licking at the barn.

"Correction. I'm at N2109 County Road C, and there are two dairy barns on fire. Dispatch the fire department immediately."

"Dispatching fire."

"Remaining at the scene." He pulled into the parking area and got on his cell phone. When the caller answered, he said, "Hey Erik, it's Steve. You asked me to call if anything happened, well, it happened. I'm at the Fraser farm, and both their barns are on fire."

"Oh crap. Where's Sam?"

"I don't know, I don't see anybody. These barns are going up fast."

"I was supposed to follow Sam's friends back to the farm, but I got sidetracked with an incident at the festival. Now the beepers are going off all over the place. All the volunteers are getting called, so they'll be out there in no time. I'm on my way."

"Okay, see you soon." Steve got out of his unit and watched from a safe distance. The flames built at such a fast rate, he could see the whole yard and the details on his uniform. He shook his head. Such a shame that another farm had to fall victim to the corporation. He hoped he wouldn't have to be around for the hideous sound of cows bellowing in terror when the fire got inside and licked at the hay and burned them up. He was more than a little surprised that he didn't hear anything yet.

Sirens shrieked in the distance and got louder by the second. A couple of engines turned in and raced up the driveway, and they got as close to the barns as they could. Pickup trucks veered off and parked on the grass behind them. Men got out of the trucks and put on their gear as they hurried toward the barns. Steve had never seen so many firefighters turn out for one emergency.

Dale Dietrich, who served as fire chief, approached the deputy. "Steve, did you see anyone around? Elise says that Michael and Fiona Fraser should be around here somewhere, and Sam Axe. She's already checked the house and they're not inside."

Steve shook his head. "Nope. Haven't seen anyone come out."

Dale put the walkie talkie up to his lips. "I want a line sent to the milking barn with two rescuers, now." From the looks of the other barn, if anyone was inside, they wouldn't be alive for long, if they hadn't yet succumbed to the smoke and flames.

"Rescue one going in." Two firefighters hauled their line to the left of the pumper truck and began spraying the entryway, and the rescue team waited for the signal that it was safe to enter. The fire had already eaten up the old wood sliding door, and the dry grass around it burned along with the wood above the door. When the flames were knocked down enough for them to safely enter, the two firefighters ran inside.

A voice crackled over the radio. "Rescue team one, need rescue team two, over."

"Rescue team two, assist rescue one." Dale ordered.

Another team ran for the entrance and went into the dark and smoky interior. Everyone did their job trying to control the fires. With the age of the buildings, there was no way they could save them. It was simply a matter of preventing the fire from getting out of control. Dale knew how many cows the Frasers had. That was going to be a lot of barbecued beef. He was more than a little surprised that he didn't hear the sounds of dying cattle, but the flames and the hiss of water could have overpowered such a gruesome sound. Besides, he was too concerned about his men and what they found in the milking barn.

The four men came out one after another. One his strongest men carried one man over his shoulder. Another carried Fiona in his arms, and a third had Sam over his shoulder. The fourth man followed behind them. An ambulance had arrived and parked off to the side, and all three victims were deposited on the ground near it. He saw Elise and Erik rush over to them, with Nick and Betty following and standing over in the shadows with concerned looks. He approached his men.

"Report."

"The inside was starting to become fully involved when we found them. It looked like they were locked in a storage room, but they escaped. They didn't get any farther." The firefighter took a breath. "They were all unconscious when we found them."

"Good job. Any burns?"

"Can't tell. We were more concerned with just getting them out."

"Thanks. You guys did a great job. Just like we practiced." He smiled at them. The four were relatively new on the volunteer squad, and this was their first real rescue. "After this, you all deserve a beer."

"Thanks, Sir. On you?" One of the men winked.

"Don't push your luck, Bobby."

Bright lights drilled through Michael's closed eyelids, and he opened them in fluttering increments. Someone was speaking to him, but they had the name wrong. It was Westen, not Fraser. Then he remembered his cover and closed his eyes again. Correcting the speaker could have been a huge mistake.

"He's out again. I don't think we'll be getting anything out of him for awhile."

"How's his wife doing?"

"She's been awake for awhile. We're giving her oxygen and she's bouncing back just fine."

"How's Sam?"

Michael was awake, but he listened to the conversation between the doctor and Erik. He pretended to be oblivious hoping to hear something that they wouldn't be as likely to share with him if he was conscious.

"He's got some kind of sedative in his system. We're running blood tests right now to see if we can identify it. Whatever it is, it really put him out."

"Is he in any danger?"

"No. We're monitoring his vitals constantly, but nothing is out of the ordinary outside of the effects from the smoke inhalation. He's going to be okay, Erik. Most likely he'll just sleep off whatever those guys shot him up with and he'll be fine. Not counting, of course, the beating he took."

"Thanks, Doc."

Footsteps diminished, but Michael felt a presence nearby and he heard breathing that wasn't his own. Michael opened his eyes and found Erik at his side. Before the man could acknowledge him, they heard Elise's voice.

"Erik, where's Sam? Are they okay?"

Erik turned to her and Michael watched as he grasped her arms gently. "They'll be okay, and so will Sam. They've got Sam in ICU just as a precaution."

"Oh no!" Elise's eyes watered and her face registered her alarm. Surprisingly, Erik took her into his arms and pressed her close. Her arms circled around him as he held her.

"It's okay, Elise. The doctor said he'll probably just sleep off what those guys gave him."

"Do they know that for sure?" She sniffled and ran the back of one hand across her eyes.

"They're running tests right now, but everything they're monitoring looks good. So don't worry, hon, it'll be fine."

Michael saw the surprise in her eyes when he used that term of endearment. Instead of saying something in protest, however, she simply returned to the warmth of his arms and let him comfort her. Erik said something he couldn't hear, and then the two turned to his bedside.

"Michael? How are you?" Elise gave him a sweet smile.

"I'm... okay." He didn't expect his voice to sound so rough. "My mom's house is smokier than that barn was." He coughed so hard, his chest hurt when he fell back against the pillows. He gasped for a breath.

"Maybe they better put you back on that oxygen," Erik said with his brows knit in concern.

"No, I'm fine. Where's Fi?" He coughed again.

"Right over here," Erik inclined his head to his right.

Michael saw Fiona in the bed next to him. She stirred, coughed, and turned her head toward Michael, but she didn't open her eyes.

"She must be sleeping," Elise said in a whisper, and she got closer to his bed. With a wry twist of her lips, she added, "Which is what you should be doing, Michael!"

"Yeah, right. We need to get on this..." He made a move to sit up, but Erik held him back.

"No, there's no need. Roger and his friends really did it this time. They left evidence behind that points to them. A trooper caught two truckloads of cows on the freeway heading north, and a whole bunch of state police stopped them."

"They were our cows, Michael. They stole them and then burned the barns." Elise tried to keep her voice low for Fiona's sake.

"The men driving the trucks were from MiFarm. Word is the FBI is sending agents up from Detroit to interview them. If they're smart, they'll make a deal and sing. Montgomery and his company are going down, and we've all got you and Fiona and Sam to thank. If you all hadn't come in here stirring things up, no one would have been the wiser about what was going on."

"We've still got work to do," Michael said. "Montgomery will bolt when he gets wind of this."

"Maybe. Maybe he'll just go underground for a little while. The state cops are looking for him and Roger. He would be a key if they can get him to talk."

"Agreed. Until then, we've gotta get out of here."

"No way. You're staying overnight at least, and if I have to stand here the rest of the night to make sure you stay, I will."

Michael stared at the intensity in Erik's eyes, and he believed he would do what he said. "Okay. Only for tonight."

"Good. Now close your eyes and get some rest."

The next morning Michael awoke to find Fiona conscious in the bed beside his. Not long after, they ate breakfast and got the green light to leave. Betty and Nick arrived with Elise and brought clean clothes for them. All the while, he thought about Sam.

"Does anyone know anything about Sam's condition?"

"That boy got beat up real good," Nick said, "And they gave him some sort of knock out stuff, but like when he was a kid, he's resilient. He'll recover just fine. We stopped in his room before we came to see you. They kept him in the ICU for a few hours last night, but then they put him in his own room. He's already up."

"Moving kind of slow," Betty added with a sheepish smile. "But he's up and around, changing. You two need to get dressed too, so we can get you home."

Fiona and Michael rode with Nick and Betty in Elise's car, and Elise drove Sam's truck, despite his protests. She put her foot down, insisting he wasn't healthy enough to drive on his own. She didn't like her father driving, but he did just fine as she drove behind him. When the three left for the hospital that morning it was still dark outside, so none of them had seen the damage from the night before. The car and truck pulled into the parking area, and everyone got out to assess the scene.

Seeing beyond the charred piles where the barns used to be was too strange. Something stuck in Sam's throat as his eyes roved over the scene and he felt his family's loss as if it was his own. Steam rose into the air from parts that still smoldered. No doubt he and Mike would have to get out and hose it down now and then to avoid a flare up.

"It looks..." Elise couldn't even put words to what it looked like. "I've never seen anything like this before. No one had a barn burn down like this!"

Sam put an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. "Just be glad the cows are okay. Erik came to the hospital this morning and said they've got room at their farm to keep them until the barn is rebuilt, and they'll get well taken care of over there."

"Thank God. It's going to take a lot of work to rebuild."

"Don't worry, Elise." He looked down at her glossy eyes. "I'll stick around and help. I promise." He could see that she doubted him, but he would prove his words were genuine. He turned to Michael. "Mike, you and Fi can go home, but I'm staying until this is all cleaned up and we've raised two new barns."

"This isn't over."

Sam knew how stubborn Michael could be, but he and Fi really should go back to Miami. Their work was done. "Once the Feds stick their noses in this, and we get them up to speed on our intel, there's really not much they'll let us do."

"Are they here yet, because I sure don't see any suits hanging around." Michael stood with his arms crossed in front of him, his eyes behind his sunglasses staring at the debris field. "Until we have Montgomery, we're not going anywhere."

"Well, I should probably go inside and get some coffee going," Betty said. She sensed a storm brewing between the two men, and in her experience, when Samuel got angry, it was better to let him handle things on his own. So she turned toward the house. "I'll get some lunch together for everyone, and then there's work to be done."

"I'll help you out, darling," Nick said as he followed, his eyes locked on the charred mess. He shook his head, his lips pursed to hold back his emotions, and he stepped up to the back door. Wordlessly, he followed Betty inside.

"This is devastating," Elise said.

"Elise, I don't want you to think I'm being cold, but, this is far from devastating. Mike and Fi and I, we've seen worse things and we've come out of it okay. The farm, and your family, will make it through this. Don't worry." He pulled her to his side and winced at the pain it caused him, but he did it anyway. She held onto him like he was her life preserver. Sam kissed the top of her head and let her go into the house with her parents.

"Nice job, Sam." The family interaction was a nice distraction to diffuse the tension.

"Yeah, well, I don't know how well it worked." Sam shrugged and discovered that even that hurt. "I need to go get something for this pain. I'll be out in a minute, and we better start throwing some more water on that barn."

Michael nodded in agreement. He and Fiona watched Sam walk away with slow, careful steps. "He's really hurting, Michael, and I don't think it's all about his body."

"I know. That's why we're not leaving until we get the MiFarm Corporation and Montgomery busted, and the cleanup and rebuild is underway."

The two heard gravel crunching and turned toward the noise. A black Town Car pulled up the lane and stopped. The man behind the wheel smiled, no, grinned, as he turned off the car and got out. His gray hair was nearly white, but his skin still looked youthful.

"Good morning! You must be Michael Fraser." He held out his hand as he approached. "My name's Christopher Montgomery, and I am the President and CEO of MiFarm."

"We know who you are," Michael replied with a tone as cold as ice.

"Yes, well it's a terrible tragedy that happened here last night. Just terrible." He face showed pity, but his eyes were like a crocodile ready to strike at fresh meat. "I hear the livestock survived, so there's still plenty of value in this farm, and..."

"You bet there is, and once the barns are rebuilt, the Frasers will be up and running again." Michael countered before Montgomery could say any more.

"With Mr. Fraser's health issues, his nephew almost being killed, and no barns, I would think he'd be very interested in selling."

"We were almost killed in that fire, set by your underlings," Fiona said as she took a step toward him, her face a mask of menace that caused him to swallow and consider taking a step back. But he held his ground.

"Yeah, well, you get what I meant." He straightened his tie and made a move to walk around them, but Fiona took a large step into his path. "Do you mind, Miss? You're not even part of this family, so why do you care?"

"Sam is our friend. He is our family. And what happens to his family affects us," Michael said and he joined Fiona to block the man's way to the back door. "You've got a lot of nerve showing up here. You know the police are looking for you."

Montgomery scoffed. "I've already taken care of that. They arrested me and my lawyer took care of my bail. They've got nothing on me to keep me legally, and you can be sure that after this mess is taken care of, I'll be suing the Grunewald Police department for false arrest."

"You may be free now, but you better enjoy it while you can," Michael spoke in a tone that promised danger if the man stood there any longer.

"I had nothing to do with those men stealing the cows and burning down these barns. They were doing this on their own. The truth will come out." He took a step back and stared into Michael's eyes, then Fiona's. "And you can be sure I'll be back to make an offer that Mr. Fraser would be a fool to resist. Good day." He turned on his heel and marched back to his car. He started it, his eyes locked on the two standing in the yard, and he pulled back and out on the street without looking. He was almost t-boned by a passing car, but the driver managed to swerve and avoid a collision and the culvert at the same time.

"The cows being stolen isn't public knowledge. At least not as far as we know," Michael muttered to Fiona after Montgomery drove away.

"We knew he was in on it. That proves it."

Michael turned and strode to the back door, pulled it open and went to the phone on the kitchen wall. He quickly pressed Erik's number. When the chief answered, he asked, "Erik, does everyone in town know that the Fraser cows were stolen?"

"Maybe by now some people do. I can guarantee if a few people know, by the time late church service is over, the whole town will. Why?"

Michael quickly related Montgomery's visit, and Erik's response wasn't something repeatable in church. "I'll let the FBI guys know. They're here in my office right now." His deep sigh resonated over the line. "Mike, you and Fiona have been a great help, Sam too. But this is out of our hands now."

"Erik, there's one thing I know about the FBI, and that's that I don't trust them to get the job done right. We need to work on this ourselves and trap Montgomery."

"But how?"

"I'll work on that this afternoon. Can we meet somewhere later?"

"Yeah, come on out to my house for a barbecue. Bring Sam." He listened to one of the agents and returned his attention to the phone. "Gotta go, Mike. I'll talk to you later."

"Talk to you later, Erik." He hung up the phone and looked at Fiona and Sam. "After lunch, we've gotta work on a plan and put it into action before the Feds get a hold of Montgomery."

"We're all over that, brother."

Elise glanced at her cousin with a raised eyebrow at the word, but when she studied the two she realized that over the past few days she'd seen their relationship up close and personal. They truly were more than best friends. They were like brothers.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Knowing that Sam had a support system in Miami made Elise feel a lot better about his being so far away, and it also gave her a little bit of understanding as to why he didn't come home so much. However, she couldn't help but wonder what other reasons he had for staying away until the family really needed him. As tragic as the present situation was, Elise hoped that maybe it would knock some sense into Sam and he wouldn't be such a stranger. He missed his own mother's funeral, for crying out loud! How does a man do that? Now was not the time to ask, but when things settled down, she intended to get to the bottom of it.

With lunch cleared away, Elise and Betty washed the dishes while the three sat at the table discussing their options. Nick sat with them. He looked tired, defeated, and would have rather gone to take a nap. Yet as Sam and his friends went through what they already knew, he became more interested. He also realized how far Michael, Fiona, and Sam had stuck out their necks for his family. It was the least he could do to go along with whatever plan Michael and the others designed.

"I know you're not going to like this," Michael began as he stared directly at Nick, "But we need you and Betty to tell people that you've decided to sell."

"What?" Nick's voice came out raspy and his face turned white. "I would never give up this land! It's been in our family for generations, and..."

Michael waved his hands to get him to be quiet. "No, you're not actually going to sell. We just want everyone to think you are, and then Montgomery will be eager to come back and make an offer."

"Then what?"

"We plan to present him with some information that will convince him he would be a lot better off turning himself in to the police."

Nick chuckled. "You really think he'll do that?"

"We've done something like this before," Sam spoke up. "By the time we're finished, he'll probably want to run or decide to turn himself in and rat on his people. It could go either way."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Nick said, "I sure would like to know what you have on him that'll make him do that."

"We have evidence, and some really good camera footage of last night's escapade."

Nick's eyes squinted as he stared at his nephew. "Sam, what are you talking about?"

Michael, Sam, and Fiona smiled. "While you were gone, Mike and I installed some web cams in the windows upstairs in your bedroom and Elise's. They captured everything and we've got perfect footage to ID the people involved. Monty's not gonna be too happy when he sees what we captured." He glanced at his watch and addressed Michael and Fiona. "We should probably head over to Erik's and talk about how we want to do this." He stood up as slowly as his uncle when his arthritis acted up. Sam had taken some aspirin for the pain, but when the dust settled, he could take the prescribed stuff that he knew would knock him out. He didn't need that right now.

"So, I suppose we should go visiting in town and let the word leak that we're selling," Nick said before draining the last of his coffee.

"That sure would help our plan," Sam replied with a smile. "Thanks for helping us on this, sir."

"You're helping us, Sam. If there's anything we can do, let us know."

He nodded and left the house with Michael and Fiona. Michael drove the Cadillac and Sam sat in back with his eyes closed, hoping that the bruises and cracked ribs would heal fast. He'd been through this sort of thing before, but it never got easier.

Erik's house stood in the middle of the block not far from the high school. Since it was Sunday, the streets were clear of students' cars and Michael was able to park at the curb. Fiona and Sam got out and as Michael joined them, Erik opened the front door and met them on the front lawn.

"You three look... well, let's just say the darkness hid a lot of things." He chuckled.

"Gee, thanks, Erik," Sam replied with an annoyed expression.

"Seriously, I'm glad to see you up and around, Sam. When I saw you at the hospital out cold, I was afraid you'd never wake up." He walked beside his friend and studied him. "You know, I'm really glad you came home, because I've thought about you over the years, wondered how you were doing. Wondered if you didn't get yourself killed in some war overseas."

Sam met Erik's gaze and saw the pain in his eyes. He smiled at him. "It's nice to know some people here were concerned."

"Oh, you know Betty, Nick, and Elise were worried about you!" He stepped up on the porch and let the three inside his house before he entered.

"I know. I'm afraid I just haven't been very good about keeping them up to date, that's all. It's a hazard of the job when you're a SEAL... or a spy." He glanced at Michael. "You get used to not telling the ones you love what you're doing because it's all classified. Then, when that life was over, I didn't have anything to tell them about. I was just biding my time in Miami, until I ran into Mike. Then it was all covert stuff again and nothing I could write home, you know?"

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to drop a postcard in the mail now and then just to say 'Hi' and let them know you're alive."

A soft snicker came out of Sam. "I've already been over this in my head. Don't worry, after we're gone I promise I won't be so incommunicado. And maybe I'll even come home now and then. We'll see."

"Good. Glad I got that off my chest, because frankly, it's been bugging me and Elise for a long time now."

A light sparkled in Sam's eyes. "Yeah, about you and Elise. What's up with that?"

"Anybody want a beer," Erik asked as he whirled and led them to the kitchen, opened the fridge and pulled out four bottles. "Sam? Or can't you drink with the meds..."

"No, I'm good. I'm not taking any of that crap until we're done. It'll put me to sleep, or at the least make me groggy and I'll be no good."

Erik nodded. "Yeah, I know what that's like. Mike, Fi?" He held out a couple of bottles for them. Then the group followed him out back to the patio. The sun streamed through the remainder of the leaves on the trees and warmed up the back yard. "Make yourselves comfy."

Sam sat in a chair with comfortable cushions and opened his beer. He sized up Erik, who looked at him expecting Sam to resume the conversation about Elise. No, he'd let his friend squirm a little while over that one. It was no secret that Erik always had a place in his heart for her, and after the dance last night it appeared to Sam that maybe Elise had at some point started to see his appeal. Funny how she could keep that locked up, though. Maybe the fact that he teased her about her boyfriends when they were younger had something to do with it. Women. They never forgot stuff like that!

"So," Erik began. "From what I've heard about you, Michael, I figure by now you've got a plan set to trap Montgomery."

"He had the nerve to show up at the farm this morning and attempt to make an offer," Sam told him.

"You should have held him." Erik sat forward in his seat and directed his statement at Michael, then moved his gaze to Fiona and Sam. "I would have been happy to slap some cuffs on him."

"We weren't ready. Besides, he wants the Fraser farm and your family's farm so badly, he's using desperate measures to get them, we've got proof he was involved, and it'll be a lot more satisfying for people if we catch him our way. So we told Betty and Nick to start spreading the news that they're selling."

"No." Erik's jaw dropped. "But they're not really going to sell, are they?"

Michael shook his head and a thin smile appeared on his face. "No, they're not. For this to work, we need your family to spread the word that what happened on the Fraser farm has them spooked and they're going to sell too."

"Michael... news like that will crush this community. As long as our two families hold out, people have hope that MiFarm won't start taking over cash crop farms."

"There won't be any time to lose hope. This'll all be over in a day or so."

Erik stared at the cement. "You seem so confident."

"Trust us." Fiona met Erik's eyes when they came up at the sound of her voice. "We know what we're doing."

The three gave Erik the details on the plan, and he couldn't believe that such a thing would work. In the end, however, he decided to help them. He called his father, told him what he needed to do and to trust him that everything would work out okay.

"I guess now we wait. I guarantee that by Monday morning, most people in town will know what's up."

"That's what we want. And we want Montgomery to know too. Call him, Erik. Tell him that the Johansens and Frasers are willing to sell and you want a meet up tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay." Erik's hand shook a little as he held the phone and dialed the number. He knew it was all a ploy, but a part of him couldn't help but fear that if things went wrong, he and his family could lose their homestead. "Mr. Montgomery, it's Erik Johansen. Has my father called you yet? He did. Oh, okay, well, yes, I'm arranging the time for a meeting. Tomorrow afternoon at the Fraser farm. Yes. Yes, sir. I'm sure. Goodbye." He let out the breath he'd been holding down deep in his lungs while he spoke and felt as if he was choking to death. "Okay, it's set up. The guy sounded like the cat ready to go in for the kill on the mouse struggling to get away."

"Of course." Sam said, "He thinks he's won. Montgomery doesn't know what we have on him, but after tomorrow, the cards will all be on the table and he'll be out of options." He smirked. "I assume you'll be attending the nab the MiFarm criminal party?"

Erik laughed. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Are the Feds coming?"

"We haven't spoken to them, and we won't," Michael said. "No doubt they'll get the scuttle from people in town and will just show up."

"Hopefully after we've convinced Monty that the game is over." Sam took a swig of his beer.

Erik glanced at each one of his friends and shook his head slowly, a bemused smile on his face. "I can't believe you people do this kind of stuff all the time. I might have to go down to Miami sometime and see how you work."

"We'd love to have you," Sam said. "You can stay at Elsa's hotel. I'm sure she'd be happy to put up a friend of mine who helped save my butt."

"Not like I did much. I wasn't even there to pull you out of the fire."

"You're helping now, and there's no guarantee that this won't erupt into gunfire. It all depends on what the big guy does when we present him with a tight case against him."

"I almost can't wait for tomorrow and see how you pull this off."

Knowing what Michael, Fiona, and Sam intended to do, Erik couldn't stop thinking about the next day and all it would bring. One moment he thought it was the most brilliant plan he'd ever heard, then in the next he thought it was the riskiest, craziest thing he'd ever been a party to. Would it really work? Did they truly believe that Montgomery would come to a meeting not expecting some resistance? He fired up the grill and made dinner, and all the while he got to know Sam's friends who in the course of a few days felt had become his as well. No doubt the three led quite an interesting life in Miami. He would definitely have to go down for his next vacation in January, about the time he hated living in Grunewald the most.

After dinner Erik scooped the hot coals out of the grill and put them into the fire pit to get a nice fire going. The four sat around it and enjoyed watching the sky as it turned dark and the stars came out.

"Now there's something you don't get to see in Miami," Sam said as he rested his head against the chair back and looked up at the thousands of pinpoints in the sky.

"It's even better out in the country," Erik replied. "You know that, Sam."

"Yeah." He remembered those days, taking a girl out to the meadows just beyond civilization, huddled together when it was cold, under the guise of watching for a shooting star. "There's too much light to see this in Miami." He raised his head and asked, "Take anyone out to the meadow recently?"

Erik laughed and looked away. "If I did, do you think I'd tell you?"

"So... what's up with you and Elise?"

"Nothing." Erik tipped up his beer and drained it.

Sam chuckled. "That answer came too fast. Keep in mind, pal, that I've had a lot of experience in interrogation. I can make you talk."

Michael nodded while holding back a smirk. "If I were you, I'd just tell. It's better on you that way."

"That's right," Fiona added. "You don't want him to get out the knives."

"Knives?" Erik's eyebrow arched up. In the shadows from the flames, he saw Sam's eyes looking back at him in a way that led him to believe that the people he interrogated in the past regretted their resistance. A shiver ran up his spine as he realized that he wasn't sure he wanted to know what Sam had to do to get them to talk.

"I know, I shouldn't hide this from you. We've been friends a long time, Sam, and you know I always liked Elise." He paused in an effort to rustle up some more courage.

"Hey, you know what?" Michael suddenly popped up out of his chair and took Fiona's hand. "I feel up for a walk, how about you, Fi?"

"But Michael..."

He gave her the eye, and she knew he was giving Sam and his friend some space to talk without them hovering. She smiled and stood beside him. "Yes, a walk would be lovely. You two just keep talking, don't mind us."

With Michael and Fiona out of the way, Erik felt more comfortable. His yard was ringed with a stockade fence which helped to keep the neighbors from getting into his business. Still, he moved his chair closer to Sam's and spoke low.

"Anyway, as I was saying. You know I've had a thing for Elise for years."

"Yeah. So, did you finally get up the nerve to do something about it?" Sam asked and reached for another beer from the cooler.

"Well, when things started happening on the farms, I was getting busy investigating them. I wound up at the Fraser farm a few times on my way back into town to see if anyone saw anything going on at the Schroeders' place. Elise and I had a chance to talk." He let out a breath. "It was all really innocent, you know. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that I asked her if she'd like to go with me to Frankenmuth."

"Ooooh, hot date." Sam teased.

"Well you know I couldn't take her anywhere around here. Everybody would be talking the next day!" Erik shook his head. "We were just going as friends, that's all."

The corner of Sam's mouth tipped up. "That's what you were trying to tell yourself. Did it work?"

"For most of the time, I was able to be real cool about it. You know how she likes to collect those little elf ornaments for the tree, and every year they have new ones at the Christmas store... so I thought it was the perfect thing, to take her there to shop and then have lunch in town."

"I take it she said yes."

Erik nodded. He told Sam about the day and how he and Elise shared things that he'd never told her before because they'd been so distant for so many years. "She threw me for a loop when she said she'd been interested in me in high school, but there were so many other prettier girls vying for my attention, she never tried." He took a breath and added, "I told her she was always one of the pretty girls."

"Really? Wow, I never had a clue, and we shared a lot growing up." He sat in thought for a moment. "Come to think of it, though, we never talked about the people we liked. I think I ruined that when I teased her about liking that geeky kid in freshman year. Can't even remember his name."

"Oh yeah, him. He went to college and nobody's seen him since."

"Figures."

"Yeah, some people move away and they never come back." Erik's gaze bored into Sam's.

He gave Eric a dirty look. "Hey now, I'm here. What more do you want?"

"An explanation. Well, not for me. I understand how the military controls your life when you're in it. But Elise doesn't understand. You know it bothers her that you haven't been home in decades, especially when your mom died. That really kills her."

"I know. After this is over with Montgomery, I promised her I'd stick around for awhile until the farm is put back together. When she looked at me, I could tell she didn't believe me." He swallowed hard, the guilt pressing down on him. "I'm going to talk to her, and maybe while I explain that I wasn't in a situation where I could just drop everything and go home, maybe it'll make more sense to me why I didn't come back when I did have the chance."

"I hope you figure it out, 'cause then maybe you'll come back more often and we can hang out." He grinned.

"Next time, I'll have to bring Elsa along. I think she'd flip seeing Grunewald. She would never believe I came from this place." Sam laughed.

"Elsa? Hmmm, sounds like a nice, beautiful, blonde European girl who would be right at home with all of us," Erik purred and winked at Sam.

"No, she's actually dark haired, but she is beautiful. We'll have to stay with my aunt and uncle, because she owns a five-star hotel, and I don't think the motel will be up to par for her."

"So she's rich, too. You lucky dog, you."

"Yeah, I suppose. The money's nice. She gave me that Cadillac. But the more time we spend together, the less it becomes about all that and more about what's going on between us."

Erik watched his friend as he talked about Elsa, and he noted the tender love in his expression. No girl in high school had ever put that look on his face. "It's nice to know you finally found the one, Sam. I'm hoping that Elise will see that she's my one."

Sam held up his bottle between them. "Well, let's drink to that one, buddy." The bottles clinked, and they downed them in one gulp. Not long after, Michael and Fiona returned to retrieve Sam and take him home. They needed to get their rest for the next day.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Michael counted on the speed of communication in the small town to make Montgomery interested, and it didn't take long for him to get word and call and set up a meeting. Michael was glad, because as much as he got satisfaction out of helping people, sometimes the environments he found himself in were the kind that he would rather spend as little time in as possible. Still, he could think of worse places to be than in the middle of Michigan's dairyland.

He'd gotten used to Miami and he liked it for its conveniences and choices. In Grunewald, there wasn't much. And if he were honest with himself, his restlessness had more to do with the fact that he missed home. Being around what was left of Sam's family, seeing them interact and watching Sam warm up to them again reminded him of what he left behind. At one time he wanted to be as far away from family as he could. Times had changed, all he had was his mom, and he realized the importance of her love and emotional support.

If things worked out the way they planned, everything would wrap up that morning and by lunch time he, Fiona, and Sam could be on their way back to Miami. When it was his turn to drive, he imagined he would have the pedal to the metal. Miami was looking really good, especially when he walked out the back door with Sam and got a couple of lungs full of cold, crisp air.

Sam heard him gasp, and he laughed. "Yeah, it's a little brisk out here this morning." They stopped short of the debris and gave the piles a good look. "The demo crew is slated to be here tomorrow. It won't take long and we'll get this all out of here. Uncle Nick is going to talk to one of those guys who builds the big pole barns."

"Pole barns?" Michael crossed his arms against the chill.

"Well, they're made out of metal supports and lots of aluminum or something. They're not as sturdy as the old barns, but they can be made with sides that come down in the summer so there's better air circulation for the cows. I know he'd like to rebuild what he had, but that's expensive. As it is, Uncle Nick's not sure insurance will cover the loss since it was arson."

"If we get our way, MiFarm will compensate your uncle for the loss." The way Michael looked at Sam, his eyes told him that they would get their way. Sam nodded, because he knew his friend wouldn't settle for anything less.

"Well, whatever the case, as soon as this thing with Monty wraps up, we've gotta get going and rebuild before the snow flies. We want the cows back home, you know?" He met Michael's gaze and saw questions there. "Yeah, I promised I was going to stay until that happens, and I'm sticking to it. You guys can take the Caddy and go home, and I'll fly back when I'm done."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I feel like I haven't done enough for my aunt and uncle. After my dad divorced my mom, she was... well, she was a mental wreck. Coming here was like therapy for her. But she was so lost, Mike, and I was just a kid. I didn't know what to do." He sighed. "Aunt Betty and Uncle Nick took us in, helped my mom get back to normal and start to live again. I owe them this."

"So, if things were so great here, why'd you want to leave?" He surveyed the land beyond the charred piles and peered through a morning mist to see the cows wandering in the Johansens' field.

Before Sam could reply, they heard the sound of leaves crunching in the grass and turned.

"Enjoying the morning, guys?" Elise joined them with a big smile on her face. "Don't you just love the colors through the mist?" She sighed with contentment in the tone.

"It's nice," Michael admitted. "But I'm looking forward to going home."

Elise gave him a sheepish smile. "I suppose it doesn't measure up to Miami. I guess that some day I'll have to go down and visit Sam and see what's so great about it."

"Somehow I have a feeling that you won't think the pasture is greener on our side of the fence," Michael replied with a grin.

"Probably not, but it's worth checking out, right?" She turned her attention back to the field and the three stood in a line staring at it. "I hope your plan works, Michael. If we have to give up the farm..."

"That's not going to happen. Trust me."

"Okay." Her voice was heavy and she blinked. "This farm is everything to my dad. Granted, his health isn't the best, but if he lost it, I don't think he'd have much to live for anymore. It's his life."

"I promise you, by the time this is over, your family will still own this place." He turned to his friend. "We should get set up, Sam."

"Yeah. Aunt Betty said we could use the parlor. She was up at the crack of dawn dusting and cleaning in there." He shook his head and the smile on his lips was affectionate. "Even for a scumbag like Monty, she has to have her house presentable."

"That's my mom," Elise said with a laugh. She followed the two men inside and with Fiona the four of them arranged the furniture and set the stage for the meeting with Charles Montgomery.

Sam's phone rang shortly before the meeting. "Yeah." He listened a moment, then said, "That would be fine. Just stay in the kitchen and keep yourselves out of view." When he hung up, Michael looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Looks like my connections with the FBI got me some new friends. Two agents are coming to the house to be ready to take Montgomery into custody. I told them to park themselves in the kitchen away from the deal, so they can at least hear what's going on. Then they can take him away and it'll be over." Sam turned to Elise. "Maybe my dear cousin can help keep them occupied until we need them." He smiled at her, and she smiled in return.

"I'll do whatever it takes, Sam."

"Alrighty, then. I guess we're ready."

On time at ten thirty, Charles Montgomery pulled up in his car. Sam stood outside and waited for him. "Good morning, Montgomery."

"Morning, Mr. Axe." His gaze roamed over the fields and the mess where the barns stood, and a smug smile crossed his face. Sam wanted to punch it off. "Well, I thought it was going to be a lot worse. This is fine, it'll allow us to build more efficient barns, bring in new, faster equipment, and then we'll make some real money." The smile turned into a false expression of empathy as it lit upon Sam. "Don't worry, your family will be compensated for their land and stock. Just not quite as much as if the place was intact, but, well, that's life isn't it?"

It took all his discipline to bite back what he really wanted to say. "Come with me, Mr. Montgomery," he ground out the words. "Care for a cup of coffee or anything?" He led the way up the back steps into the kitchen. The Feds hadn't arrived yet, so the coast was clear. Only Elise stood in the kitchen trying to give a friendly smile to the man who tried to ruin them.

"Maybe later. I just want to get down to business and get out of here before I step in something."

Montgomery passed Sam and headed for the room that Sam pointed him to. Over the man's head, he met Elise's worried eyes and silently assured her that everything would be okay. She nodded and returned her attention to creating a tray containing cups and a carafe of coffee. In the parlor, Betty and Nick sat with Karl and Erik Johansen, Michael, and Fiona. Sam ushered him to a chair that sat toward the center of the room. He noted the position, turned a suspicious eye toward Sam, and saw the serious look in Sam's eyes. He sat.

"Now, let's get down to business." Montgomery set a brief case on his crossed knee, snapped it open, and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "This c..."

"Not so fast." Michael spoke aloud. "There's something we want to show you before you begin." He stood and moved toward a television that sat in front of the cold fireplace. He turned on the power, hit a button on a DVD player beneath it, and the screen showed a dark scene.

"What is this?"

"Just watch."

The screen came alive with night vision footage of Roger and MiFarm employees stealing the cows and setting the barns on fire. The other occupants in the room watched the man as he endured the video, looking bored the entire time.

Michael spoke to him with an even tone. "I'm sure you recognize some of the people in this video."

Montgomery scoffed. "So some of my employees got a little overzealous about their work. I'm not responsible for that."

"Really? Then what about this," Michael asked as he hit a button and showed more video, only this time it was of Montgomery on a side street in town talking to Roger. "This was taken before the fire," Michael explained. He turned up the volume, and Montgomery's voice came through loud and clear.

"I don't care if you haven't torched anything like this yet. The stakes are higher. My board wants the Fraser and Johansen farms. I want those farms. They're the last pieces of the puzzle, and after MiFarm has made a nice profit on all these places, then we'll talk about the others."

"The crop farmers think their places are safe," Roger said.

"And we want them to think that for now. When you sell us your land at a huge profit, they'll be willing to hand theirs over, thinking they'll be getting a great deal too. It'll go a lot easier than the cow handlers. After people see what kind of money they can make by selling to us, you'll be able to retire from sabotaging peoples' farms." Montgomery grinned. "Won't that be great? And you can finally move away from this god-forsaken boring little town and go wherever you want."

"Yeah."

"Maybe you can go down there to where your buddy lives."

"He's not my buddy, but yeah, Miami might be kind of nice." Roger glanced around and nodded. "Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

"You said that the Frasers never miss the festival, right?"

"Uh huh." Roger answered and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"So while they're all gone, you and the boys go in, you take the cows, and burn the whole place down."

"The house, too?"

The man rolled his eyes as if he thought Roger was stupid. "Yes, the house! I don't want anything standing after all is said and done. Just make sure you get all the livestock, because they're the only thing that really make that place worth anything." He smirked. "And then I'll be able to buy it for cheap, and maybe the Johansen guy will see that it's really in his best interests to sell now before he has nothing on his property and has to give it up at a major loss."

"You've really got this figured out, sir."

"Well, MiFar has been doing this for quite some time, Roger. No need to worry. It's all part of the plan."

Michael turned off the video and everyone stared at Montgomery. The man was as white as the papers that rested on his knee. But he quickly regained his composure, glared up at Michael, and said, "That was obtained illegally. I'll make sure to have you brought up on charges for that. And if you hope to use that as evidence against me in some sort of legal proceedings, think again. You've got nothing that will stick."

Sam skirted around his left shoulder and dropped a two inch high stack of papers on the coffee table in front of him. "That's testimony from every one of the people you swindled, Monty. I gotta tell ya, there's some very interesting reading in there."

"Hearsay, all of it."

Sam leaned down and got into his face. "These are signed affadavits, and every one of these people is willing to testify in court under oath."

"This is ridiculous. You have nothing substantial."

"Oh no? We almost forgot to show you one more thing." Michael hit the play button and went back to the footage of the barns burning. In the foreground stood two men. When they turned to leave, Michael froze the picture. The firelight clearly showed the faces. One was Roger, and the other was Montgomery, smiling.

Fiona got up and left the room, and a few moments later she returned with the two FBI agents. "Gentlemen, I think Mr. Montgomery is ready to leave."

The man still sat in the chair. His papers slipped to the floor as he sputtered and attempted to figure out a way to talk himself clear. "This... this is all illegal..."

"The only thing that's illegal here is how you defrauded these people, strong-armed them into selling, and harmed their stock and their property to get what you wanted." Michael stood over him with a menacing glare.

"Not to mention the fact that you were skimming off the top on these deals," Sam added.

"What? How do you know that?"

"People talk around here. Hiring locals wasn't exactly the best idea," Sam replied with a smirk. "People who care about this community, who thought you were going to help their neighbors but instead realized you were hurting them. When word got out that we were looking into all this, they came forward and told us everything. We have copies of your financials and everything that was supposed to cover up what you did. You might as well just give up now, Monty."

Sam nodded and the FBI agents came forward. They recited his rights as they snapped on the cuffs. All the way to the car, Montgomery spewed impotent threats. Only the sound of the screen door slamming behind him could cut him off.

"Well, that was easy peasy," Sam said when silence fell in the room.

"I have to agree, that was one of our easier jobs," Fiona said with a nod. "And we didn't even need any C4, which is a good thing, since I didn't bring any."


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"You're sure you want to stay," Michael asked.

Sam nodded. "It's not like you're abandoning me in the wilderness, Mike. I've got family here that still needs my help." He kicked at an acorn on the ground and looked back up to his friend. "If anything really pressing comes up, give me a call. Otherwise…." He shrugged. "I may be here for at least a couple months. I owe them this."

He didn't have to explain; Michael understood what he meant. After having escaped a home full of abuse from his father, leaving his mother and brother Nate behind to suffer without him, many a day Michael felt the tug of honor and what he owed his family for abandoning them. It was too late to make it up to Nate, but he still had time with Madeline. No doubt when he returned she would have something needing his attention, and he would handle it because of the debt he felt he had to repay her.

"Okay. Take care of yourself, Sam. If you need anything, let us know." He shook his friend's hand and drew him into a quick hug.

"I will, Mike. Thanks for your help here. You and Fi..."

"It was a great team effort." Fiona gently bumped Michael aside and gave Sam a warm embrace. "Don't freeze to death up here, Sam."

"I won't, I promise." He grinned at her. "You two be careful driving back. If anything happens to the Caddy, Elsa will kill me."

Michael laughed. "We wouldn't let that happen."

"Yeah, need I remind you of the one you destroyed trying to get away from those guys chasing you after your chat with Carla?"

"That shouldn't be a problem anymore," Michael responded quickly. "Goodbye, Sam. We'll keep in touch and see you soon."

Sam waved until the Cadillac was down the road and they couldn't see him. He sighed, and his breath came out in a cloud. It was getting colder every day, reminding him of one of the reasons he didn't come home. There was always summer, but then other reasons kept him away, poor excuses every one of them. When he walked back up the driveway and saw Elise standing near the wash lines waiting for him, he knew by the way she stood with her weight on one hip and her arms crossed that she wanted to talk to him about something heavy. Considering how he was feeling about his choice to stay and the reason behind it, he was pretty sure the upcoming conversation would highlight his decision with a good dose of guilt.

"Elise. What's up?"

"Not much. Strange how not having the herd around opens up a lot more time. Will you join me for a walk?"

Sam shrugged. "Sure, why not." He was dressed a little light for the weather, but as they walked he was sure he would warm up. "Lead on." He pointed toward the fields.

Elise walked with Sam along the charred heap that used to house the cows. "I was kind of surprised that you didn't take off with Michael and Fiona."

"I promised I would stay, Lise."

The corner of her mouth twitched into a smile. "I'm sorry, Sam. I really didn't believe you'd do it."

"Why? I've always done what I said I would. When did you start thinking I couldn't be trusted?" He was hurt and blindsided by her doubt.

She let out a deep breath and stuck her hands into her back pockets. "I'm sorry. I think because you didn't come home after you left to go to school, and when you did those couple of times, you were here and gone before half the town could say hello. And your mom… you weren't here for the funeral. If I'd been away and Momma or Daddy died, I would have moved heaven and earth to get here to bury them."

"Yeah, well, I was in the jungles of Columbia at the time in the middle of a disastrous mission." He shook his head. "Believe me, Lise, if I could have escaped and come home, I would have been here. Anywhere was better than in the middle of that mess."

"So you would have done it out of desperation and not necessarily out of love for your mom. Nice." She shook her head and looked up at him. "I expected better out of you. Maybe I built this image of you up in my mind all these years and you're nothing like I thought."

"Lise, it's not like that at all!" Sam looked down at her, feeling like she betrayed him with her lack of confidence in him. "I can't believe you think I thought so little of my Ma! It kills me that I couldn't be there, and that when she was alive I did nothing for her. I turned out just like my Dad. Do you think I feel good about that?"

"No, I can't imagine that you would." She pouted and said, "After your mission was done, you could have at least come to visit her gravesite."

"I was trying not to get court-martialed and thrown into Gitmo," he replied with a growl. "When I barely made it out of that fiasco, I wanted to get as far from home as I could think of, where there were plenty of places I could lose myself. I was broken, Elise. I couldn't come home a failure."

"Of all the places you could have run to, home would have been the best place. At least here you have people who love you. Not that Michael and Fiona don't, but... we're family." She looked up at him with sorrow in her eyes, and she closed the distance between them and put an arm around his waist. She pressed against his side. "You know we would have taken care of you."

He put an arm around her shoulders. Somewhere along the line, he'd forgotten that the Fraser side of the family was a lot more touchy feely than the Axe side. If he didn't indulge her, she'd think he hated her. "When I left, you were all proud of me and thought I'd be this big hero. I was anything but at the end of my career." He snorted. "Coming back with my tail between my legs was not very appealing."

"I think I understand that, but... oh, never mind. You came back when we needed you most, and that's really all that matters." She squeezed him and broke the contact with a smile of love directed at him.

"I didn't really want it to seem like I was abandoning everyone, but, well, it kind of turned out that way, didn't it?" He frowned. "If it makes you feel better, I did the same thing to my wife."

"Oh yeah, I remember Aunt Jeannie talking about her." She glanced up at Sam with a smirk on her face. "By the way, she didn't think much of her, and if she was here, she'd probably say it was no big loss." Elise laughed, but then sobered as she asked, "Did you two ever get divorced?"

"No." He glanced toward the herd and watched them laze around munching the last of the green grass. What more could he add?

"Sam! You should take care of that, or get rid of the girlfriend."

"If I can find her, yeah, I should. There's a lot of stuff I need to deal with, the barn reconstruction being one of them." He stopped walking, and she turned toward him with a questioning look. "But first, where's Mom?"

Elise smiled. "Let's go take a ride." On the way back to the house, she stopped along a fence and picked some dark purple flowers that the frost hadn't killed yet. Sam knew exactly what she was doing, because he remembered that his mother loved those flowers. He went ahead a few feet and picked some until they harvested every last vibrant bloom along the fence line. She took them from him and held the stems in her two hands until they reached the house, and she used some string to tie the flowers into a bunch.

"Looks good, Lise. Thanks for remembering."

She choked up at the way he blinked away the tears. "Just fire up that heap of yours and drive us to the cemetery."

Elise went with Sam and showed him where Jean Axe was buried, but she gave him the flowers and retreated to the truck to wait inside the warm cab. He knelt on one knee beside the stone and rested the bouquet against it. His lips moved as he appeared to be speaking, and his head dipped and he swiped his eyes on his sleeve. Elise found a small stain on the seat to take her attention away from such an intimate moment, because if she kept watching, she was sure that she would break down into a mess of tears and just embarrass him.

After awhile, Sam returned to the truck and didn't say anything until they were almost home. "While we're in town, do you need anything?"

"Nope, I'm good."

"Okay." He continued driving back to the farm without another word.

"You and I used to be able to talk about stuff, Sam. I'd like to think that we still can."

He picked up her hand from the seat and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks, Elise. I'll let you know if I need to talk."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

The ground was covered in a pristine blanket of white. As the private jet came in for a landing at the small airport in Frankenmuth, Elsa looked out the window. The skies were gray and heavy with clouds, quite dreary really, and she wondered what attracted people to inhabit this place. When the jet broke through the clouds she saw nothing but miles and miles of fields marked off with fences, and barns and homes set next to country roads. She liked Miami, and she hated leaving it in the winter unless she was going skiing. But someone waited for her at the gate, and it was because of him that she rode her private jet up from her home base. She couldn't wait for the engines to shut down and the stairs to drop, and as soon as the attendant locked them in place, she hurried down and across the cleared tarmac.

Elsa almost didn't recognize Sam in the thickly-insulated, dark navy jacket and jeans. He also sported a nicely trimmed, greying beard and mustache, and the hair coloring he used for her had faded. The strands of grey made him look older, yet the light in his eyes and his smile negated the effect. The light in his eyes was brighter than she remembered, and Elsa wondered what happened in this place to bring such a change in him. They'd spoken over the phone many a time, but Elsa couldn't help but worry that maybe something, or someone, in Sam's home town was more appealing than her to keep him there for three months.

"Hey, baby," he greeted her, picked her up, and held her tightly to his body. Their lips met in a tender kiss, and suddenly the air didn't feel so cold anymore.

Back home, Elsa liked how his stubble rubbed against her face when they kissed. The beard and mustache were softer than she expected. When their lips parted, she smiled at him and caressed the side of his face as she said, "I like the new look. Think I can convince you to keep it when we go home?"

He laughed and replied, "Believe me, Elsa, this is for self-preservation only, so I don't freeze my face off."

"It's that cold here?" She frowned and looked around them, noticing for the first time that large snow banks leaned against a chain-link fence. The wind kicked up some dry ice crystals and blew them into her face as she ducked deeper into the collar of the winter coat she wore. "Oh, Sam, let's get out of here! Come back to Florida with me this instant!"

"Now, honey, if you and I have any hope of a future, there are some things we'll have to get straight."

She eyed him and her mouth hung open. The icy air got inside so she quickly shut it, but the shock still remained. Normally she called the shots in their relationship; she didn't know what he had in mind now.

"Come on, let's get to the truck, and we'll talk on the way to the farm."

While Sam drove, Elsa sat in silence, dumbstruck as he relayed everything that he didn't tell her on the phone. After he and his friends took care of MiFarm and the ill-gotten farms were returned to their original owners, Sam worked side by side with old friends and neighbors to cleanup and prepare the site and construct the barns. The builders finished a couple weeks earlier and now he and Elise worked with the new farm hands to make sure everything ran smoothly. The biggest surprise of all was that he found his wife and now she was his ex with little fanfare. Knowing he was finally free gave her confidence in their relationship. He said he loved her and now he proved it by shedding the past.

He drove them through the town and pointed out some of the shops that he thought she might like to visit. Now and then someone stopped on the sidewalk and waved to him, and he returned the gesture with a smile. It was as if he'd lived there forever. She felt even more like an outsider.

"Well, if you're all done, when can you leave," Elsa asked, trying to mask her nervousness with a calm tone.

He glanced at her, a challenge in his eyes. "I promised Elise I'd spend Christmas and New Year's with the family, so I'm not backing down."

There was no way he would change his mind. She knew that because with him, a promise was as good as gold. As she studied the picture postcard main street decked out for Christmas, her curiosity piqued. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to spend some time here and not only learn about what made her man tick, but hopefully see what it was about this place that caused him to be more confident in her presence. "Well, you know that this time of year can be a little less hectic for me, so… if you don't mind, I'll stay too."

His boyish smile turned into a grin. "I was hoping you'd say that!" He turned off the main street and her eyes took in everything along the country road. She'd never seen so much snow other than on a European mountain.

The trees wore a mantle of white on their branches, and Sam explained that overnight several inches of wet snow had fallen. Plows cleared the road, and until that point she hadn't noticed the apparatus attached to the front of Sam's truck. He told her he used it to clear the drive and paths to and from the barns. As each mile passed, she became more curious about the farm that obviously held such a warm place in his heart that he wanted to help take care of it. And she couldn't help but worry that maybe he wouldn't want to leave with her in the new year.

"Well, this is it," Sam announced as he turned in to the drive and parked at the end. "This is the place I called home for ten years of my life." He swept his hand palm up toward the barns and the fields. "Except for the new barns, not much has changed."

"I see." Her eyes roved to a pen where it seemed like a thousand cows stood or laid in the muck. She wrinkled her nose at the sight. "How many of those creatures are in there?"

"We're down to ninety three. We traded off a few for some stud services. When Mike, Fi, and I showed up..." He waved a hand in the air between them. "Never mind. It's a long story, and I'm not sure you'd be interested in talking about stock and the farming business."

"I never really thought of this as a business," Elsa said. "Maybe we can talk with your aunt and uncle over dinner and I could give them some ideas."

Sam laughed. "This isn't a hotel for bovines."

"There are some things that ring true no matter what kind of business you have." She wore a serious expression and spoke in a tone that told him if he wasn't careful he'd be treated to an earful in a few moments.

"Yeah, well, hang on. I'll be right over there." He hurried out of the truck and got to her side, opened the door, and helped Elsa down. Her feet slipped on a patch of ice. "Woah, careful!" His arm went around her waist to keep her from falling. With her lips so close to his, his smile communicated his desire to kiss her.

"I know you'd never let me fall," she said and reached around the back of his neck to pull him closer.

He heard a shrill whistle, and the couple broke apart with wide eyes and shocked expressions. Elise kept walking toward the back door with a pail full of milk and laughed at their rosy cheeks. "Caught ya, Sammy!"

Sam took a few breaths to calm himself. "Don't mind her. That's Elise, my cousin. She's more like a pesky sister."

Elise laughed, the sound light on the wind. "I have a feeling this is going to be an interesting visit."

After introducing her to everyone, Elsa unpacked and Sam gave her a pair of boots that were more suited toward a walking tour of the barns and yard. He went over the details of all that was involved in getting the creamy white liquid from a cow into a grocery dairy case, and to his surprise she was fascinated. At dinner she discussed the business side of things with his uncle, and Sam could tell that Nick was impressed with her.

When it was time for bed, she held her tongue about the cold air in the bedroom. The house was old and obviously in need of better insulation. Elsa dove under the covers and shivered, and when Sam got in she snuggled up against him. He wrapped his arms around her and stayed awake for awhile listening to her breathing, basking in her warmth under the cold covers. It was almost as good as Miami. He'd spent way too many nights alone in that bed shivering until the quilts picked up his heat, and it always made him think of her. Elsa hated the cold, yet she took the time to fly up north to be with him despite the very thing she despised. That said a lot about how deep her feelings ran for him. He loved her madly, but being home and seeing it through different eyes made the farm feel like a comfortable old sweater. As soon as the work was done Sam could have left; he just couldn't bring himself to do so. When Elsa said she wanted to see him and bring him home, he eagerly accepted her offer as an escape that he wasn't all that sure he wanted.

The next morning, Sam took Elsa into town for breakfast. He wanted her to experience more of the town, and he had an idea brewing in his head that started with an odd dream the night before. Afraid that talking about it at the table in his relatives' home would raise false hopes, Sam wanted to discuss it with Elsa in private. It might be just a hare-brained idea. However, if anyone would know how to make it work, it would be Elsa.

"You want to open a hotel here?" She looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

"Well, not really a hotel. More like a resort, a small resort."

"Why? Why would anyone want to come out here?" She caught sight of someone giving her the eye and she turned away, feeling her cheeks heat up. She leaned closer to him and rasped, "I'm sorry, but no one goes on vacation to wake up to dairy air!"

Sam chuckled and patted her hand. "You'd be surprised how many people want to get away from it all and experience the countryside. Look, there's a dairy farm not far from here and within walking distance of downtown. The owners sold it to MiFarm but they moved away and aren't interested in repossessing it, so it's for sale." He let out a breath. "Will you at least go out with me and take a look at it? It has it's own little lake, lots of trees, and some nice hills for sledding in the winter. It could be a four seasons inn."

"Where did you get this idea?"

"I have no clue. It came to me in a dream last night, Elsa. We owned this place and we had good people running it for us, and we had our own suite for our use when we came to visit." He smiled at her as he massaged her hand in his. "The house is huge and could probably have six or seven rooms. The barn could be converted for more. And there's an old cozy cabin near the woods that would be perfect for us."

"For a dream, it sounds like it was pretty well detailed." Her eyebrows rose as she talked, unable to believe that this all came from one night's sleep. "Fine, we'll take a look at it."

Sam called the realtor and she met them at the farm. She grinned practically from ear to ear as she gushed about the amenities on the property and gave them a good look at the gentle hills and a landscape full of bare trees that would be lush in the warmer months. As she spoke, the couple imagined the property in the spring, summer, and fall, and by the time she finished her spiel, Elsa was almost convinced.

"Sam, it's hard to decide. I really like to see what I'm buying, and the land is covered with snow right now. I mean, how do I know those fields aren't anything but mud? After all, there were cows here." Elsa took a panoramic look at the property from the vantage point of the widow's walk, a tower set into the very top of the house that gave a three hundred sixty degree view of the property and the area around it. She ran into a spider web, waved her arms and spat as it brushed her face, and disentangled herself from it. "The place obviously needs some work." Her eyes fell on Sam, and he held such a sense of hopefulness in his eyes, she found it hard to dash his hopes. "I'm sorry, I can't make a decision on this yet. If it's still available in the spring, maybe... maybe then I'll be willing to look at it again and put an offer on it."

"So there's still a chance you might buy it," the realtor asked with hope in her voice.

Elsa nodded. "Maybe. I want to do some checking to see how much it would cost to convert the house to an inn, and what other expenses would be involved. I don't want to just rush into this."

"Your wife is a wise woman, Mr. Axe."

Sam glanced at Elsa, and with a twinkle in his eye, he said, "That she is, Mrs. Poth. That she is."

After they were in the truck and the realtor was on her way, but not before making sure that Elsa had one of her cards, Elsa turned in her seat and studied Sam long enough for him to ask, "What?"

"You didn't correct her when she said 'your wife'. Why was that?"

Sam shrugged. "I suppose I liked the sound of it so much, I couldn't bear to set her straight."

"That's a big decision, bigger than buying a piece of property to make a resort." Her eyes locked on his.

To his surprise, he saw fear in hers. Sliding closer on the seat, he asked, "What's wrong? Are you scared of the idea of us getting married?"

She wanted to lie because he didn't seem the least bit afraid of the concept, but inside, she shook in terror. "I love you, Sam, but I... I don't know why the idea of spending the rest of my life with you is so scary." She swallowed and blinked. "Maybe because I'm afraid of losing you like I lost my first husband."

"Losing me? You won't..."

Elsa moved closer and put her fingers over his lips. "You can't promise that, Sam. With the work you and your friends do, who knows if some day you're shot or hurt and... and... you don't survive? Then I'll be alone again." A sob came out of her.

Sam let out a soft sound that communicated his understanding as he took her into his arms. "Elsa, whether or not we're married, it could happen. So why not just do it and we'll be together like always, only then Aunt Betty won't have to fuss about two unmarried people sharing a bed."

Elsa laughed against his chest and pulled back enough to kiss his lips. "When you put it that way, you make it tough for a girl to refuse." She sat against the seat and with regret in her eyes, she said, "But I have to. I... I'm not ready for this yet."

"Okay." One word held so much disappointment, and the sigh he released punctuated it. He started the truck and put it in reverse. "We better get back to the farm."

Neither of them brought up marriage or the property again. As Christmas neared, Elsa learned to slip into the slower pace of small town life and appreciate the peacefulness. Over the years, she'd traveled to spas all over the world for a serenity that she experienced in little Grunewald, and she began to see why Sam wasn't so keen on leaving yet. She met many new faces and became aware of how well liked Sam was in the community. The people were friendly and warm, and as the days went by, she began to see how a resort could fit in the area. Despite her previous misgivings, she called the realtor and set her plan into motion.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"Elise?"

"Yeah, Elsa?" Elise grinned practically every time Elsa addressed her. She liked the woman who'd captured Sam's heart, although at first she thought she might be too stuffy for him. As she spent time with the family, Elise found her to be warm, funny, and intelligent.

"I know how you love Sam and that you would do anything for him. As an aside, I would hope that you would do just about anything for me, too." Elsa twisted her fingers nervously. "I need your help."

It must have been something big for Elsa to come out to the milking parlor and speak to her so early in the morning. "Sure. What is it?"

"I bought the Hannah property, but I didn't tell Sam."

"You did? That's awesome!"

"Shhhh, keep it down! It's supposed to be a surprise!" Elsa got closer, even though it meant getting within touching distance of a cow. She didn't care for that. She was always afraid one would stomp on her toes. "I need your help cleaning up the house and getting it ready to use as a bed and breakfast."

"Oh, that's a great idea," Elise said with a grin. "You can count on me, and I bet my mom would like to help too. She's a whiz at cleaning!"

The ladies, under the guise of going shopping and having some girl time in Bay City, retreated to the house to clean it from top to bottom. The house had no furniture, so Elsa consulted with Elise on who would be a good local source. She gave her advice and went into town to pick up some catalogs from the furniture store.

"Were you able to get them without arousing a lot of interest?" Elsa took the stack from Elise.

"Yeah, I told Mr. Fessler that I was thinking of redecorating my room, and Momma was thinking of some new furniture for the kitchen and living room." Elise grinned. "He was only too happy to throw every catalog he had my way!" She giggled, and Elise hadn't done that in years. "I suspect that he really thinks that Erik is going to ask me to marry him and I'm looking towards setting up a new household with him."

"Erik?" Elsa's eyebrow rose and a wicked smile stretched across her face. "With all the gossip around town, that's one I didn't hear!"

"Everybody's talking about it," Betty said with excitement in her tone and her eyes. "The scuttle is that Erik went into the jeweler's store and came out with a small bag. He almost lost it from his pocket when he stopped in the market. Henrietta said it was small and square, whatever was inside."

"Well," Elsa said simply. "I hope everybody's right. I've seen you with Erik and I think you two make a cute couple."

"Thank you, Elsa!" She blushed. "I have to agree with you on that."

"I'm a pretty good judge about those things." A serious crease formed on her brow as she stared intently at Elise. "I can also see a person with a lot of talent letting it go to waste."

Elise's face fell, and she stared at Elsa. "What do you mean?"

"You. I've been watching you, and I discovered that you're quite the manager with the farm. I want to offer you a job."

With eyes wide, Elise swallowed. She was afraid that Sam's girlfriend was going to ask her to move to Miami. As attractive as it sounded, she wasn't so sure she would like it there. "A job? What kind of job?"

Elsa replied, "I need a manager, and I think you would be an excellent fit for the Hannah Meadows Inn."

A breath of relief escaped her, and then Elise spoke with unease. "I've never managed an inn before."

"You have the skills. You just adapt them to people, not cows. You're friendly, outgoing, and you're an excellent cook." She smiled. "Besides, now that the farm is back to normal, that kid, Dale, has been doing a great job with the place."

Betty jumped in, intrigued by Elsa's offer to her daughter. "It makes sense if Dale is doing so well. I was surprised his dad decided not to take his farm back. We're giving his son an outlet for his talents, and maybe now it's time for you to stretch yours, honey."

"Thank you, Betty." Elsa turned back to Elise. "So your family can hire Dale Jr. as the farm manager, you take care of the inn, and everybody wins."

"As long as you promise to come back more than once or twice a year with Sam."

Elsa gave her a secret smile. "That's why I bought the place, Elise. If he won't come home by choice, at least I have an excuse to get him here. Although after all that's happened, I don't think I'll have to do too much convincing." She blinked, emotions starting to cloud her eyes. "He's regained his family, and he's not going to let any one of you down by avoiding you again."

Betty asked, "Elise sweetie, will you manage the inn? It's a terrific opportunity!"

"I'll think about it." She responded with a smile. "Right now, we need to get this place in order so Elsa can bring some furniture in here."

Within a week the house was the neatest it had been in fifty years or more. The wood was all polished and shone like honey. The windows sparkled and were decorated with new curtains and blinds. Before next winter the insulation would have to be redone, but at least all the utilities had been inspected and were up to code. The hardest part of the operation was to hide the furniture delivery. Elise gave the truck driver directions that took him around the town and he approached from the south. She managed to buy off a few high school students to help move the furniture into the house and extracted written promises that they wouldn't tell anyone what they'd done. It was the best she could do.

New Year's Eve, Elsa and Sam went to a party held in the high school gymnasium. They enjoyed the evening spending time with Sam's friends, dancing, and mingling. Erik and Elise were inseparable all night, and it was hard to tell which outshone the other: Elise or her engagement ring. Erik ran a close third. Midnight rolled around, and it was time to go. Elsa told Sam that they had a one am takeoff from Frankenmuth, so they had to get going.

"We can't leave the truck at the airport," Sam said.

"I've already taken care of that. Elise and Erik are following us. But first, there's something we need to do." Elsa slipped the truck keys from Sam's hand as they walked to the parking lot.

"Elsa, what are you doing?"

"Let me drive, Sammy. I have a surprise for you." She turned her head and looked over her shoulder with a devious smile on her lips. "You'll have to keep your eyes closed until we get there." They got into the truck and she blindfolded him.

Sam didn't know what to make of this. He knew she'd spent a lot of time whispering with Elise and Aunt Betty, and the three spent a lot of time away from the farm in the past week, but he figured it was just girl stuff. Obviously, they'd had something more significant in mind. By now he could have navigated the road home blindfolded, so he knew where she was going. She even stopped at the tracks for the right amount of time before crossing, but she turned right instead of taking the curve and now he was really intrigued. A short while later the truck slowed and turned into a lane. It bumped along, and he wasn't sure where they were. But he had a clue.

She stopped the truck, slipped the blindfold from his eyes, and said, "Look, Sam."

He blinked and focused on the white sign hanging just on the other side of the culvert. In the headlights, the bold but elegant script read, "Future home of The Hannah Meadows Inn, Elsa and Sam Axe, proprietors."

Sam's mouth hung open, and he was unable to speak. Elsa looked at him in the glow from the dash and said, "This is my gift to you. It's more than a business. It's ours together, and one more reason for you to come back here now and then."

"Together, as a married couple."

"Yes."

In the light from the dash, he looked at her with awe. "Thank you. This is the best gift ever." He leaned over and kissed her long and hard until they were both breathless.

Elsa regained her voice first. "Now, let's go back to Miami and make sure things are still standing. We'll come back in the spring and by then Elise should have everything ready for us to open."

"Sounds like a great plan to me. I'm looking forward to some warm temperatures for awhile." He waited until Elsa pulled back onto the road before clasping her hand in his. "I can't believe you did this for me."

"It's for us, Sam. You know that I need a place to get away from it all. In the past couple weeks, it just occurred to me that this was as good a place as any to do it."

"I couldn't agree more." So many years ago when he left, he felt like the farm and the town were stifling him. Rushing back to help his family was a blessing in disguise, because through solving a mystery he realized that he was home and he was comfortable there. Still, he wouldn't give up the warmth of Miami for anything. Now he had the best of both worlds, and he couldn't be happier.


End file.
